Volleyball makes NCAA Tournament

After many setbacks, the Lady Tigers make a surprising breakthrough.

By Mike Bushnell

Published Nov. 27, 2007

In a season that has been full of highs and lows, the Missouri volleyball team got a huge payoff: a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers were selected for the eighth consecutive year for the 64-team field and will immediately face a major test.

They are headed to Seattle to play the No. 6 Washington Huskies, who finished second in the Pacific 10 conference with a 26-3 overall record.

Coach Wayne Kreklow said before Monday's practice that he felt MU was going to earn a berth, but at the same time, it was all out of their control.

"I really did think, looking at all the teams in the country who were on the bubble like us, that we would get in," he said. "But we all knew we weren't a shoo-in. We knew we had to rely on the selection committee to put us in over a team with similar credentials, and they did."

Missouri finished sixth in the Big 12 and were the worst team, record wise, to get into the tournament from the

conference.

They had a 17-12 record overall and were 10-10 in the league, a mark they rallied to after beginning 0-4 in Big 12 play.

"It's been one of those seasons," Kreklow said. "We fought really hard."

Kreklow said that although this team certainly isn't the best he's coached, earning this berth might be the most satisfying of his career.

After the injury to sophomore outside hitter Julianna Klein that kept her out of all Big 12 games and having to deal with freshmen getting significant playing time, Kreklow said earning an NCAA Tournament bid feels incredible.

"Everything we've had to go through has made this more rewarding," he said. "Every time something has gone well, it's in the back of your head that something will go wrong. But this team has done great overcoming adversity."

Washington coach Jim McLaughlin came to Seattle from Kansas State, so Kreklow has seen his system before.

But Kreklow said he is ready to prepare for the Huskies, too.

"I've seen his (McLaughlin's) system before, so that won't be new," he said. "But they're extremely disciplined. They're going to watch film on us, and we have to assume they will be very ready for us. So we have to be ready for them."