MU volleyball suffers against Iowa
The Tigers had 25 errors in the first two games of the match.
Published Nov. 3, 2006
Just three weeks ago, the Missouri volleyball team was 7-1 in the conference, and on a beeline toward the NCAA Tournament in December. But in the rollercoaster Big 12, the Tigers are now in a full-fledged tailspin.
MU (14-9, 8-6 Big 12) went down quietly Wednesday night at home to the Iowa State Cyclones, whom they had beaten 19 times in a row. The Tigers lost in four games, 30-27, 30-22, 24-30, 30-22, their fifth loss in six matches.
The Tigers looked sloppy at the outset and fell behind 13-8 in the first game. In game two, the Cyclones (16-7, 8-5) dominated from start to finish, and the Tigers hit .058.
In the first two games combined, the Tigers hit .072 and committed 25 errors.
Missouri coach Wayne Kreklow was straightforward about the team's problems.
"We're not playing very well right now," he said. "Setting was marginal at best. So was passing, and we didn't block well at all. Also, the errors were just atrocious."
Missouri had 11 more kills than Iowa State, 71-60, but committed 20 more errors. MU freshman Julianna Klein struggled mightily, committing 13 errors and hitting -.118. Hitting percentage is a measure of a team or player's offensive efficiency, with a higher percentage meaning a more efficient offense.
Senior outside hitter Jessica Vander Kooi was also pretty clear about the team's recent struggles.
"We're falling apart," she said. "We're lacking in confidence right now."
Vander Kooi was hesitant to call this a "low point" in the Tigers' season.
"It's hard to say, 'Well, there's no place to go but up,' but in this conference, it can get so much worse," she said. "We've dug ourselves a pretty big hole."
On the other side of the court, the Cyclones were ecstatic with their play, especially coach Christy Johnson.
"This is a great feeling," she said. "This is probably the best match we've played all season."
Iowa State killed the Tigers upfront with 21.5 total team blocks. Junior middle blocker Erin Boeve explained that the Cyclones had no specific technique to getting to the Tigers, but it worked well.
"There was nothing in particular," she said. "We just stayed focused on Missouri's tendencies."
On the positive side for the Tigers, redshirt freshman Amanda Hantouli had 13 kills on just 23 swings, hitting .435. Kreklow, otherwise disappointed, praised the middle blocker.
"Amanda had her best match of the season," he said. "She was great."
Hantouli said she was pleased, but that her success was dampened by the loss.
"I'm happy, but nothing ever feels good after a loss," she said.
She wasn't upset that none of her teammates could hit even close to the level that she did Wednesday night.
"I've had my stupid games, too, so I have no room to criticize," she said.
The Tigers have another home match Saturday night against the Colorado Buffaloes, and Vander Kooi said the team has to get back to practice to correct what has gone wrong.
"We've just got to practice hard and work on being consistent," she said. "Then we can turn this thing around."
Though Vander Kooi said that the Tigers have to "play for the tournament," Kreklow said it hasn't even crossed his mind.
"That's so far away I'm not even thinking about it," he said. "We just have to win matches."