Troubles continue at K-State

The team faces the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.

By Sam Wilson

Published Sept. 28, 2007

The MU volleyball team got swept by a top-20 team on the road Wednesday night at Kansas State, but for senior libero Tatum Ailes, the loss wasn't solely about succumbing to a better team.

"We made it easy for them," she said. "I think they're a great team, but we made them look a lot better than what they really are right now."

Sophomore setter Lei Wang said it's a matter of whether or not the team is playing together.

"Yesterday I thought that we were playing not as a union," she said. "When one person had one error, it's just contagious."

The Tigers managed to hit .387 in the first game, but the Wildcats had a hitting percentage of .421 and took the game 30-21. Ailes said the team gave Kansas State the nine-point margin in the game on unforced errors. Wang, who usually plays setter, was moved to the right side. She logged five kills in the first game.

"It's a situation that you have to step up," she said.

Coach Wayne Kreklow said he has continued to tinker with his lineup since he lost sophomore outside hitter Julianna Klein to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

"I hate to sound like a broken record, but with Jules out, we have to rely on a lot of things in order to really play at a high level consistently," he said.

In the second game, the offense struggled more, as the Tigers' hitting percentage was just .029. The Wildcats countered with a .314 percentage and took the game 30-20.

"It just kept carrying over," Ailes said. "We just kept beating ourselves."

In the third game, the Tigers improved their offense statistically, hitting .259, but service aces by senior libero Angie Lastra of Kansas State kept the Tigers behind for the game. The Wildcats rode leads of 7-2 and 16-9 en route to another 30-20 win.

"They just have good players that do good things all the time, and (they) are very consistent." Ailes said. "They have a great defense, they have a big right side hitter, they have a great setter, they just do things well all the time."

The Tigers are now 0-4 in Big 12 play.

"It's just tough," Kreklow said. "It's not unusual to go through stretches like this."

Kreklow said he held a team meeting Thursday to make sure his team isn't dwelling on the past.

"You simply can't get too caught up into what's already happened," he said.

The team's next opponent is the No. 25 Oklahoma Sooners, who come to the Hearnes Center at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Tigers will obviously be looking to have less unforced errors.

"It's all about mental preparation, because we're a young team," Wang said. "We have to have more mental energy to support our skills."

The Sooners will not be an easy team to play, as they are ranked No. 25 in the country.

"They really don't have a major weakness," Kreklow said. "It's their balance that makes them a difficult opponent."

Kreklow said new lineups are still possible on Saturday.

"At this point, we're looking at anything and everything," he said.