Volleyball loses nailbiter against Oklahoma
Published Nov. 16, 2006
It is rare for a team to score enough points to win four games, yet lose. But it shows the sometimes razor-thin margins that decide a volleyball match like tonight's thriller.
After a thrilling and intense fifth set, the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners were able to escape Missouri Wednesday night with a 30-26, 27-30, 32-30, 20-30, 19-17 win. The Tigers had three match points, up 14-12, 14-13, and 17-16, yet they could connect on none. MU is now 2-7 since starting Big 12 play 7-1.
Missouri (15-11, 9-8 Big 12) coach Wayne Kreklow said that he was proud to be part of such an entertaining match.
"That was an unbelievable match. You couldn't ask for any more," he said, before adding, "Well, I guess I could have asked for a win."
The match ended after a long point, when MU senior outside hitter Nicole Wilson hit a ball barely out of bounds. The Oklahoma (23-5, 14-3) bench erupted and the Tigers stood in stunned, exhausted silence.
"It's one of those things," Wilson said. "You do your best and it doesn't turn out."
The match began to pick up in intensity following the second game, which the Tigers won 30-27. With Missouri ahead 28-27, a shot by Oklahoma junior Sarah Weiland was ruled out, even though it clearly appeared in bounds.
One of junior Na Yang's 18 kills on the night won the game for MU on the next point.
Sooners coach Santiago Restrepo said his team doesn't worry if calls don't go their way and were able to rebound quickly and win the third game.
"We're a team that is very focused and intense," he said.
Oklahoma senior outside hitter Joanna Schmitt agreed that there was no sense of frustration.
"We realized that calls go both ways, and Missouri had some go against them too," she said. "It was pretty even."
More frustrating than calls Wednesday night for MU was their inability to win match points. In game three, the Tigers led 30-29, but Oklahoma won three points in a row to steal the game.
Kreklow said his team got conservative in the third and fifth games and couldn't finish off the Sooners.
"When we got up in games three and five, we got predictable," he said. "I chalk that up to inexperience."
Because of the length of the match, the offensive statistics for both teams were very strong. Five players for Oklahoma and four for MU had double digit kills.
Yang and Wilson led the Tigers with 18 kills. Freshman Julianna Klein had 16, and senior Jessica Vander Kooi struggled again, needing 42 swings to get just 13 kills and hitting .143.
The Tigers did have 96 digs, including 22 by junior libero Tatum Ailes. However, she didn't seem that impressed after the match with what she had accomplished.
"Yeah, I guess I'm happy," she said. "But I wish we would have won first and foremost."
Because the Tigers played a Top 15 team tough, but still lost, it seems unclear if a match like tonight would help or hurt the collective psyche of the Tigers, who are still fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth. But Kreklow was pleased with his team's effort.
"I was proud of the way our players competed tonight," he said. "If we play like this, I'm confident. If we make the tournament, we're going be a real tough draw for somebody."