MU starts home play with a rout
Published Sept. 14, 2007
Before heading into Big 12 play, the Missouri volleyball team experienced a calm before the storm Wednesday night when it played host to the UM-Kansas City Kangaroos.
The Tigers dominated the Kangaroos and never trailed throughout the entire match. MU finished the non-conference portion of its season with a 7-2 mark after winning 30-19, 30-17, 30-8. Senior Na Yang led the Tigers with 21 kills.
The team attacking percentage during Wednesday's game was .574, compared to .178 for UMKC. Freshman Caitlyn Vann and senior Tatum Ailes each had 13 digs.
Freshmen Catie Wilson, Weiwen Wang and Vann all saw playing time in the match. Kreklow said all three should be expected to see action throughout the season, especially with the recent injury to sophomore Julianna Klein.
"With (Klein) out, Catie Wilson's going to have to be out there," Kreklow said. "She's going to have to step up and help us out in the middle a little bit."
Wilson said Klein's injury was unfortunate, but she is looking forward to more time on the floor.
"Once Jules went down, it's a sad thing because she's such a great player," Wilson said. "But it in a way has opened a door for me to improve and get some playing time earlier in my career."
Wilson said she is focusing on hitting and blocking.
"My role on the team now is to step it up and do my job and make sure I'm focusing on my blocking and my hitting and being more of an aggressive hitter," she said.
Klein's injury has forced the Tigers to shift their lineup. Wang is now playing on the left side of the court, a position she is unfamiliar with.
"For her size, she's got one of the better swings, and out there we've just got to have somebody with some pace," Kreklow said.
Wang said she is doing what she can while making the adjustment.
"I'm a little bit nervous," she said. "I'm not used to it, but all I need to do is just try my best."
Kreklow said he still sees signs that Wang is playing in a new position.
"She's used to going quick," he said. "A lot of times out there she was going early because it's hard to wait for those high balls."
Vann, a defensive player, said she is focusing on certain elements of her game that she feels need improvement.
"Our passing has to do a lot better," she said. "I have to make sure that I get the ball up to a place where the setter has a lot of options."
On Saturday night, the team will play its first conference match at Texas.
Kreklow said his team needs to generate more points from the defense, among other things.
"We're going to have to serve tough, and we've got to pass well," he said.
But for the freshmen, it will be unfamiliar territory.
"I really don't know what to expect, actually," Vann said. "Obviously good competition, and I've heard in the Big 12, anything can happen. There are those two teams that really separate themselves, Texas and Nebraska, but I think we're going to be one of the most competitive teams."