Volleyball team looking for offensive solutions
After another loss on Sunday, the volleyball team is still looking for solutions.
Published Sept. 25, 2008
After a four-set loss to Baylor on Sunday highlighted Missouri's offensive troubles, volleyball coach Wayne Kreklow is still tinkering with his lineup.
"At this point, until we start putting up a little bit better numbers, we've got to keep looking," Kreklow said.
The changes in playing time began Wednesday in Missouri's three-set win over Texas Tech and will likely continue Saturday in Missouri's non-conference match against SIU-Edwardsville.
Although the buzzword around the program has been "consistency," one factor sneaking its way onto the radar, given Missouri's difficulties matching up with teams, is size. Against Baylor, Missouri's starters up front included Julianna Klein, Lei Wang and Weiwen Wang, all listed at 5 feet 11 inches tall in the media guide.
The two tallest players on Missouri's roster, 6-foot-3-inch freshmen Brittney Brimmage and Allison Johnson, have seen time in only 27 of Missouri's 45 sets.
All of the action belongs to Brimmage, as Johnson has yet to see the floor. Brimmage's playing time has been severely cut back in Big 12 play. She played one of four sets at Oklahoma and no sets against Baylor before seeing time in two of the three sets against Texas Tech.
Brimmage, who did not play club volleyball in high school, is regarded as a talented but unpolished hitter, best illustrated by her 29 kills and 22 errors entering the Tech match.
But against Tech, Brimmage had six kills to only one error.
"We needed a little bit more punch on that side," Kreklow said of the Tech match. "Brittney came in and had a couple of big blocks and changed the complexion of the game."
The majority of the burden of adding offense off the bench has fallen on 6-foot-1-inch junior Megan Wilson, 6-foot junior Amanda Hantouli and 6-foot sophomore Catie Wilson. The trio has combined for 179 kills and 83 errors.
But for all the talk about Missouri's size, players are quick to stress the importance of rhythm in their system.
"We depend so much on tempo, which is why our passes are so important," junior middle blocker Amanda Hantouli said. "Other teams can maybe not have such great passes, but they can throw high balls out because they have big, physical players that can still put it down in those kinds of situations. We don't have the privilege of having players like that."
Despite hitting .337 against Texas Tech on Wednesday, Missouri still sits second-to-last in the Big 12 in hitting percentage at .193. The Tigers lead only Texas Tech in kills per set, averaging 12.16.
Missouri continues to be one of the top defensive teams in the conference, as evidenced by its second-in-conference 16.16 digs per set. But Kreklow knows that relying on defense to win matches won't cut it.
"You've got to attack, always," Kreklow said after last Sunday's loss to Baylor. "We're just not consistently getting good swings."
