Volleyball team loses Big 12 opener
Published Sept. 15, 2006
The same inconsistencies that the Missouri volleyball team lamented two and a half weeks ago hurt the squad as it opened conference play on Wednesday.
After starting the season 6-1, MU, now ranked No. 17 nationally, has dropped its last three, including its conference opener against the Colorado Buffaloes.
The five-set loss in Boulder, Colo., snapped the Tigers' 11-game winning streak against non-ranked conference opponents. Coach Wayne Kreklow said he's worried about his team's psyche.
"At this point, I'm worried most about my younger players having mental confidence," he said before practice Thursday. "This is a struggle, and I'm concerned how we carry ourselves mentally."
In the Tigers' loss to the Buffaloes, the team lost a 22-18 lead in game three and wound up losing the frame 30-24. After rallying to win the fourth set, MU went up 2-0 in the final game, but Colorado ran off seven consecutive points and won the game and the match.
MU senior Jessica Vander Kooi had 22 kills and 13 digs, and junior Na Yang had 12 kills and 16 digs.
Kreklow had nothing but praise for the Buffaloes, saying their win over MU isn't a shock even though the team is unranked.
"Colorado is a tough team," Kreklow said. "They have great jump servers, and anytime you have those, you're bound to go on a roll."
Vander Kooi said she was worried about the losses, saying that a losing streak this long was unusual for her.
"It's hard to drop three in a row," Vander Kooi said. "I don't remember the last time we did that."
Two weeks ago, freshman Julianna Klein said the Tigers would win or lose games in practice.
"We have to mesh and practice hard, or we won't win games," Klein said after the game on Wednesday.
To Vander Kooi, that's still the key heading forward to Saturday's match against the Texas A&M Aggies, also 0-1 in the conferencce after being swept at home by Oklahoma.
"Our younger players really have to listen to what the coaches say and take it to heart," Vander Kooi said. "At first you feel so overwhelmed, but one day it just clicks. It needs to click soon."
Both Kreklow and Vander Kooi agreed that one thing that has to change soon is the team's hitting percentage. Right now Missouri is 10 out of 11 teams in the Big 12 in hitting percentage with a .225 average.
Kreklow said the low hitting percentage is the single thing that is holding MU back from being a great team. He said the Tigers have to get their numbers up fast to compete in an ultra-competitive conference.
"We need consistency," Kreklow said. "If we can raise our hitting percentage 50 points, which isn't that hard to do, then we can become a really great team in this conference. There's nothing that can't be fixed."
Vander Kooi agreed with Kreklow about the importance of hitting percentage, saying it's reflective of the entire offense and something that must be fixed for the Tigers to rebound.
"If one thing isn't clicking, it's shown in that number," she said.