Missouri hopes to climb up volleyball standings

Players and coaches hope a favorable schedule will help in the coming weeks.

By Evan Glantz

Published Oct. 24, 2008

The Missouri volleyball team reached the midpoint of its season Wednesday with a win over the Colorado Buffaloes. After 20 matches, the Tigers' reputation is still hazy.

"The big thing we keep talking about all the time is consistency," coach Wayne Kreklow said. "I think we are getting better at that, but it is a constant challenge. The moment we don't think about it anymore is when it comes up and bites us in the butt. We have to constantly be aware of the fact that we must concentrate and we must be consistent every point, every time. The moment we don't do that, we have problems."

Early in the season, Missouri put together a three-match winning streak. That was directly followed by a three-match losing streak. It's been up and down ever since.

"We can be really good, but at the same time, our biggest problem is playing consistently," sophomore outside hitter Julianna Klein said. "If we can learn how to play consistently, then we will come out and win more and more matches as the season goes on."

The schedule has not been particularly kind to the Tigers either. In October, Missouri has played four teams ranked in the top 40. The stretch started off well with a victory over No. 35 Iowa State. But then the wheels fell off, starting with a loss to No. 16 Kansas State. Then Nebraska, the No. 2 team in the country, shut the Tigers out at the Hearnes Center. The brutal run ended in Austin, Texas, where Missouri was shut out again.

"I think it affected us in a good way," freshman defensive specialist Annie Lopez said. "We came back, we practiced hard and got back to work. And tonight we came out and showed a lot of fight."

Fight is something Missouri is going to need for the second half of the season. Currently tied for ninth in the Big 12, hope is not lost for the Tigers. They are only one match behind a cluster of teams for fifth place. In addition, Missouri sits only two matches behind Baylor for fourth place in the conference.

Missouri will also benefit from a break in the schedule. Including Wednesday's game, five of the next opponents are under .500. They get another chance to beat Iowa State, one of three teams tied for fifth place in the Big 12.

The win over Colorado was a step in the right direction. The Tigers brushed aside any feelings of disappointment and cruised to a 3-0 victory over the Buffaloes.

"Being able to win this match is definitely a huge confidence booster," Klein said. "It was a really important game in the conference for us to be able to come in and take. It gives us one more win on the board, and that's important for us right now because our team thrives on the confidence and being able to come out and win games."