Sports shorts
Published Sept. 10, 2010
Football Tiger defensive end Aldon Smith had a career game against the Fighting Illini on Saturday, leading the defense with 10 tackles and two sacks. The sophomore was rewarded Tuesday when he was named Big 12 co-Defensive Player of the Week along with Keenan Robinson of Texas.
Smith has had a major impact since coming to Missouri. After being redshirted in his first year, the 6-foot-5-inch, 260-pound Smith came to life last season, racking up 64 tackles and a Missouri single-season record of 11.5 sacks. Smith was unanimously named the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer and Freshman of the Year after his 2009 season.
Smith and the Tiger defense will look for continued success as Missouri takes on McNeese State on Saturday at Faurot Field.
Volleyball Missouri volleyball has had tremendous success in the young 2010 season, winning all six matches of the season. After emerging victorious from the Pepperdine Asics Invitational this past weekend, the Tigers swept the Big 12 Weekly Awards, becoming only the second team in history to achieve this feat.
Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia earned Big 12 Player of the Week, taking the award for the second time in her career. Ampudia tallied 50 kills on .261 hitting and was named tournament MVP of the weekend.
Freshman setter Molly Kreklow also continued to rack up the awards this week, earning her second straight Big 12 Rookie of the Week. Kreklow dished out 136 assists during the weekend, including a career-best 52 against Pepperdine. The freshman is leading the Big 12 with 12.89 assists per set.
Not to be outdone, senior libero Caitlyn Vann earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honor, racking up 62 digs per set in the tournament. Vann has now earned the award four times in her career.
The Tigers are on the road again this weekend, participating in the Western Kentucky Invitational. Missouri will square off against Western Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, Central Arkansas and Virginia Tech over the two-day tournament.
Soccer Missouri soccer has gotten off to a rough start this season with a record of 0-3-2. The team will look to get its first win of the season and coach Bryan Blitz’s 200th win of his career Friday against Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 2-2 on the season and are coming off a 1-0 loss to the Florida Golf Coast Eagles this past weekend.
Despite the slow start, the Tigers have seen impressive play from two freshmen: Midfielder Dominique Richardson and forward Danielle Nottingham were recognized by topdrawersoccer.com in the College Players to Watch Top 100 Freshman national poll. The duo checked in respectively at No. 74 and No. 79 on the list.