MU vollyball hoping for another hit

With the best season in Missouri volleyball history now behind them, coach Wayne Kreklow’s Tigers are hoping 2006 will be just as memorable.

After a breakthrough 2005 season that saw the Tigers reach the Elite Eight for the first time while finishing 25-5, the 2006 home campaign begins tonight with high expectations. Missouri is ranked 13th in the country in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll and was picked to finish third in the Big 12 Conference by the league’s coaches, behind national No. 1 Nebraska and No. 8 Texas.

Missouri takes on the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans of the Sun Belt Conference at 6:30 p.m. at Hearnes Center.

The Tigers opened their season by going 2-1 at the Long Beach State Invitational in Long Beach, Calif., over the weekend. On Friday, Missouri beat Alabama State 30-8, 30-9, 30-8 before falling 16-30, 18-30, 27-30 to the host 49ers. It bounced back on Saturday with a 30-20, 30-20, 30-27 defeat of Villanova.

Kreklow said the weekend was “very beneficial” for his young team.

“I would have been much happier coming back 3-0,” Kreklow said. “But we learned a lot about ourselves.”

The Tigers are trying to reload after losing three key components from last year’s team to graduation. Lindsey Hunter, a first team All-American in 2005, and the Big 12’s all-time assists leader has moved on to play for the

United States’ national team. Shen Danru, MU’s all-time leader in kills, kills per game, digs, aces, points, and attacks is also gone. And Lisa Boyd, a three-year starter for the Tigers at middle blocker also played her last game in black and gold in 2005.

Although the Tigers return three seniors in Jessica Vander Kooi, Nicole Wilson, and Abbie Booth, as well as 2005 Big 12 libero of the year, Tatum Ailes, these departures leave Missouri with inexperience at several positions, Three redshirt freshmen, Amanda Hantouli, Lei Wang, and Megan Wilson, as well as one true freshman, Julianna Klein all saw significant playing time in Long Beach. The Tigers newcomers will be tested right away. Missouri plays a brutal nonconference schedule which includes matches versus five teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2005 and a stretch of three consecutive games against top 25 teams: No. 21 Notre Dame, No. 6 Santa Clara, and No. 2 Penn State.

Kreklow says his team might struggle early.

“It’s a big adjustment for us, we’re no longer way ahead of the curve,” he said. “Last year, we had girls who had been playing together for three years and they were in midseason form from the start.”

One Tigers newcomer who wasted no time making an impression on her coach was Julianna Klein. The true freshman from Keota, Iowa made her first collegiate start on Saturday against Villanova and recorded seven aces, the most a Missouri player has had since 2003. Klein’s 12 aces through three matches leads the Big 12.

Kreklow said he was pleased with Klein’s performance.

“What she did really well was she just went out and played,” he said. “She wasn’t intimidated or afraid.”

Kreklow said his team is looking forward to playing at home again where Missouri drew great crowds in 2005. There were 7.298 fans at the team’s match against Nebraska last season, nearly tripling the previous school record, and Missouri hosted the NCAA Tournament’s most well-attended regional.

“It’s almost become an overnight sensation,” Kreklow said.