Tigers to take on Longhorns Wednesday
The Tigers are 0-1 in conference play and 9-3 overall on the season.
Published Sept. 22, 2010
Looking to rebound from a tough loss against No. 11 Iowa State, the Missouri Tigers volleyball team hosts the Texas Longhorns Wednesday night at the annual Dig for the Cure match.
One dollar from each ticket will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in hopes of raising awareness for breast cancer. The Tigers will be wearing pink jerseys that will be auctioned off at the end of the game on Mutigers.com. All proceeds from the jersey sales will also benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In last year’s Dig for the Cure match, Missouri was able to defeat Kansas, 3-1.
Missouri comes into the match ranked last in the Big 12 in blocks, while Texas’s 2.58 blocks per match puts them fourth in the conference.
“Texas is a tall team,” senior middle blocker Catie Wilson said. “They will get their blocks, it’s going to happen. We’re going to have to work on hitting high off their hands.”
In practice, the Missouri coaches have been holding up a shovel above the net to simulate that tall Texas team, getting the Tiger blockers comfortable with what their opponents will bring come tomorrow night.
Ranked one spot below Missouri in the Big 12 standings, Texas’s 6-4 record may seem rather pedestrian. However, three of those four losses came from top-5 ranked opponents. Missouri has seen little success in its recent matches against Texas, as the Longhorns have won each of the last seven meetings against the Tigers. This year, Missouri looks to have a good chance to take down Texas, as they are ranked ahead of the Longhorns in kills, assists, hitting percentage, and digs.
“It’s going to be a battle to stay in system,” coach Wayne Kreklow said. “We need to play to our strengths and negate our weaknesses.”
The Longhorns currently lead the Big 12 in service aces, meaning that the Tiger back row has to be prepared for the Texas attack from the start.
“We need to continue working on blocking and serving,” freshman setter Molly Kreklow said. “We definitely need to play more consistently.”
Missouri had some problems with consistency in their last match against Iowa State, as the Tigers came out of the gates seeming unstoppable, only to lose the next three sets consecutively. In order to snap that seven game losing streak to the Longhorns, the Tigers will need to play with the same level of intensity and focus throughout the entire match.
Senior outside hitter Paola Ampudia currently leads the Tigers with 151 kills on the season, and Missouri will turn to her for most of the offensive looks. Brittney Brimmage has done an excellent job in the middle, recording 112 kills on a team best .375 hitting. Molly Kreklow has continued to successfully conduct the Tiger offense, as she is second in the Big 12 in assists per game with 11.57.
The Tigers look to defeat the Longhorns for the first time in four years tomorrow at the Hearnes Center.