VB Looks to Bounce Back at Missouri
10/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 15, 2010
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| Baylor (10-9, 3-5) at Missouri (12-7, 4-5) Oct. 16, 2010 | Columbia, Mo. | Hearnes Center (13,611) |
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MEDIA INFORMATION
Game Center: Match 20
Date: Oct. 16, 2010
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Arena: Hearnes Center (13,611)
Internet Audio: www.BaylorBears.com
Talent: Todd Zeidler (pxp)
Internet Video: www.mutigers.com
Live Stats:
THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
MISSOURI (12-7, 4-5 Big 12)
SERIES INFORMATION
Missouri leads 15-13
Waco: Baylor leads 8-5
Columbia: Missouri leads 10-5
Neutral: none
Last Meeting: Baylor won, 3-1 [Nov. 25, 2009]
Streak: Baylor, W4
Last 10: Series tied, 5-5
After ripping off seven wins in a row to open the season, Missouri is 5-7 over its last 12 matches, including a 4-5 mark in Big 12 play. The Tigers, however, have played in front of big crowds with over 2,000 fans at each of their last four matches at the Hearnes Center.
Missouri has four offensive players averaging at least 2.00 kills per set, but their main offensive weapon is 2009 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Paola Ampudia. The outside hitter is averaging 4.03 kills per set and has taken 200 more total attempts than any of her teammates. MU also has a three-time freshman of the week honoree setting the offense in Molly Kreklow, who is averaging a league-leading 11.72 assists per set.
Defensively, libero Caitlyn Vann is ranked third in the Big 12 in digs per set at 4.70. Four other defensive players average at least 2.00 dps. At the net, middle blocker Brittney Brimmage leads MU at 0.93 blocks per set.
THE TOP FIVE
- After gaining its first consecutive conference road wins in more than a year, Baylor enters the Missouri match off of a tough home loss to the surging Kansas Jayhawks. The Bears have won three of their last five, but the KU loss dropped them into a seventh-place tie with Texas A&M and Kansas State. However, win Saturday would move Baylor ahead of Missouri.
- Middle blocker Elizabeth Graham continues to play at the top of her game in conference play. The senior tied a career-high in kills against Kansas and is hitting a team-best .374 in eight Big 12 matches. Graham also leads the Bears in kills (85), kills per set (2.93), blocks (40) and blocks per set 1.38.In the last three matches alone she is hitting .385 with 39 kills.
- Baylor's defense took over the top spot in the NCAA earlier this week, averaging 18.92 digs per set, 0.20 more than any other Division I program. BU also leads the Big 12 by a huge margin, posting nearly three more digs per set than any Big 12 team. As a team, Baylor has racked up a league-leading 1,381 total digs on the season, 258 more than Kansas' second-best total.
- Senior Caitlyn Trice and junior Allison King have led Baylor to its top ranking in digs per set. Trice leads the conference with 5.37 dps, while King is ranked eighth in the league at 4.01. They are the only set of teammates in the top 10 in that category in the Big 12. Meanwhile, Trice's average is on pace to shatter King's single-season digs-per-set record of 4.46 set in 2009.
- After a nine-match losing streak from 2002-06, Baylor has won five of the last seven matches against Missouri, including each of the last two in both Waco and Columbia.
