Volleyball team faces Santa Clara
MU will face two top-ranked teams at a tournament this week.
Published Sept. 8, 2006
Led by senior Jessica Vander Kooi, the No. 15 MU volleyball team swept its three games in the Shamrock Invitational last weekend in South Bend, Ind.
The Tigers capped off the weekend with their biggest win of the season over the No. 21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on its home floor.
In the five-set victory over the Irish, Vander Kooi had 30 kills and 25 defensive digs, career bests in both categories, which led to her earning the Big 12 Player of the Week award.
MU coach Wayne Kreklow said that Vander Kooi's award was great not just for her but for the whole team.
"Anytime you have an individual recognized like this, it's great for the younger players," Kreklow said on Wednesday. "It says to the team, 'Hey, this is what we're striving for.'"
This weekend the Tigers play in a tournament involving three teams ranked in the top 10.
On Wednesday, the Tigers flew to Austin, Texas, for the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational.
MU was swept by No. 2 Penn State Thursday and will face No. 4 Santa Clara today, but the Tigers will not play host Texas.
Kreklow said before the tournament started that although he doesn't necessarily expect to win, even two losses would be a blessing to the team as they prepare for Big 12 play.
"It's a win-win for us," he said. "It's great experience against two of the top teams on the road. Who knows, we might see them again in the NCAA Tournament."
He added that a win would be a huge boost to the team as it gets ready for its first conference game next week at Colorado.
"If we beat Penn State or Santa Clara, it would be an enormous confidence booster," Kreklow said. "For this team to knock off one of those guys or both would be huge. But even if we come out 0-2, we still come out on the positive end."