Missouri volleyball sweeps Kansas

Freshman setter Molly Kreklow paced the Tigers with 42 assists and six blocks.

By Zach Dischiano

Published Oct. 29, 2010

The Missouri volleyball team improved to 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Big 12 with a 3-0 sweep over rival Kansas on Wednesday night.

Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia led the Tiger offense with 13 kills and junior middle blocker Brittney Brimmage added 10 kills on a team-high .467 hitting. Freshman setter Molly Kreklow had a game-high 42 assists to go with a career-high six blocks. Defensively, senior libero Caitlyn Vann led the back row with 26 digs. Ampudia recorded 10 digs, giving her a double-double on the night with her 13 kills.

“They had a headline on their website that somebody looked up and saw,” Kreklow said. “It was like, ‘Kansas looks to sweep Mizzou.' So we were pretty fired up coming into this game and that was kind of our pre-game fire up, ‘Hey, Kansas is not sweeping Mizzou, we’re going to sweep them.’ So, it was really exciting to win.”

The first set was tightly contested between the two teams, with neither side leading by more than three until the Tigers took a 22-18 advantage late in the set. Ahead 24-20, Missouri seemed to have the set all wrapped up, but Kansas gave the Tigers a scare when it scored the next three points. A kill by Ampudia finally ended the set, which gave the Tigers the early advantage.

“I think it was a very good game,” Ampudia said. “They played really good, and we did too. I feel like we’re still stronger than them and we respect our house.”

Missouri did not lead in the second set until a kill from Ampudia put the Tigers up, 16-15. The score remained close all the way until Missouri took the lead at 20-19, and from there the Tigers finished off the Jayhawks with ease, 25-21.

“I was really pleased with the way our kids battled,” coach Wayne Kreklow said. “Particularly when there were several times when I kind of felt like we had control a little bit, and with a combination of a couple of great plays by KU and some unforced errors on our part we kind of let them back in.”

The third and most exciting set of the match started heating up when Kansas held the lead at 8-5. Missouri rallied to score five straight points to get ahead, 10-8. The Tigers put themselves in a great position to win the set when they were up 20-17, just five points away from a sweep of their rivals. The team just couldn’t seem to close the deal because they gave up five consecutive points to the Jayhawks, who took the lead, 21-20. A kill from Brimmage put Missouri up 24-23, but the Tigers could not find a way to score that last point of the set. The Jayhawks tied it up at 24, then later at 25 and again at 26, continuing to hold back the Tigers from winning the set. Finally, senior outside hitter Julianna Klein came through with a clutch kill that ended the match, 28-26.

“I was hoping that we’d find her (Klein),” Kreklow said. “Because I really felt like at that point, that was the person I wanted to really go to because I really think that with her experience and just the savvyness and way she’d been playing all night long, I mean, that was the person that I wanted taking that last swing.”

Missouri will look to continue its winning ways and get back above .500 in Big 12 play when it hosts the Kansas State Wildcats 6:30 p.m. Saturday.