Molly Kreklow knew she was home when she stepped onto the Missouri volleyball court for the first time as a top recruit seven years ago. Part of that had to do with the atmosphere the team and Hearnes Center gave off.
Another part of it had to do with the coaches — her aunt and uncle.
“When it came down to it, I decided that it was most important for me to play at a place that I love with coaches that I respect and knew would treat me well and could take care of me,” said Kreklow, the former Tiger who’s now a professional volleyball player. “That was here.”
Molly’s father is the brother of Missouri’s head coach, Wayne Kreklow. Wayne’s wife, Susan, is Missouri’s assistant coach.
The family atmosphere helped Molly know exactly what she was going to get when she put on a Missouri jersey.
“I always described it as playing for a coach that you knew really well,” she said. “I think that’s what I liked the most about it was I wanted to play well for him. And I knew he was taking care of me and wanted me to play my best, not just for the program but for me and my career in general, and I really liked that part of our relationship.”
Molly’s career skyrocketed under Wayne and Susan as coaches. She was named the 2013 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in her senior season, and she helped guide Missouri to a 35–1 overall record and its first-ever SEC championship.
From there, Kreklow went on to play for the U.S national team. She was named best setter at the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Grand Prix tournament, where she led her team to the gold. She was also named USA Volleyball’s female indoor most improved player for 2015.
In between playing with the national team, Molly played professional volleyball overseas, which is common for U.S. professional players. Molly signed a contract to play in Dresden, Germany, and helped her team win the Bundesliga, the country’s national title.
After a year in Germany, she went to Istanbul, Turkey, where she helped her team place third in the professional volleyball league.
Being overseas and playing volleyball year-round had a heavy effect on her mentality, Molly said. She said she felt herself grow mentally because it was more difficult than she thought it would be.
“When I was in college, my dream was just going to practice and not have to worry about school or anything else, and when I was in that situation, it became more like work,” Molly said. “I had to learn how to balance the sport that I love so much becoming my job.”
When in Germany, Molly was expected to speak German. The culture was more rural and less modern. In Turkey, the people are more Westernized and spoke more English, but the culture was different due to the influence of Islam.
Learning to adapt to these different situations and coming back to the U.S. for breaks was what helped Molly change as a person. She said before she went overseas, she was always spending time with friends and family. Afterwards, she was more independent.
“All of a sudden, I was on my own, and I had to figure out all this stuff,” she said. “It’s a lot to learn. You have to be okay with being uncomfortable and realizing you can survive on your own, and you’re strong enough to live in a different country on your own. I learned how to be strong enough on my own without other people helping me or defining who I am or deciding who I want to be.”
Molly came back to the U.S. in the summer to try out for the national team with hopes of making the Olympic team. She was well-known, and many volleyball analysts had her locked in as a setter on the U.S. Olympic team.
However, the U.S. coaches went a different direction than the analysts saw it. Molly was cut from the team, and since she had not signed a contract to play overseas again this fall, she was out of a job.
“It was really sudden. I wasn’t expecting that cut so soon,” she said. “It was kind of like a whirlwind of ‘what’s next?,’ and I decided to take some time off. It was a great learning experience, I grew a lot and realized, ‘Hey, volleyball isn’t everything.’”
Just like when she was being recruited in high school, Molly chose to go back to a place she could call home. She started graduate school at Missouri and became one of the volleyball team’s graduate assistants.
Being a coach gave the 24-year-old a new perspective. She learned what it was like to not have as much control on the court and with the players. She also understood the patience the coaches have with players.
“It’s cool to work with Wayne and Susan now and see that side of them and how much time and effort they put into the program and for the girls,” Molly said. “As a coach, you want your player to do this and that, but that can’t always happen right away, so you have to work with them and teach them the way they learn best.”
Current Missouri player Emily Thater saw major improvements in the team’s mindset when Molly returned to work with the team. Thater said the team took everything she said to heart because of Molly’s experience.
Thater was a freshman during Molly’s last year on the team. For Thater, now a senior, having Molly back with the team meant she could reconnect with someone she hasn’t seen for three years.
“I was just a freshman last time she was here, but she really took me under her wing,” Thater said. “She was my ‘big sis’ my freshman year, and I had such good memories with her. She’s a great person and I’m so proud of her and honored to be her friend.”
For the current Missouri team, having its star back was short-lived. Molly received an offer to play professionally for Liu Jo Nordmeccanica Volley Modena in Italy last week. She took the offer and left the U.S earlier this week.
Molly said time off from playing has helped her regroup and remember why she loves to play volleyball. While she doesn’t always know what her future holds, she said coming back and being with her team and family was much needed in her career.
“It was nice that I got to coach a little and have some time away from volleyball and figure out what I want,” she said. “I guess I didn’t know I’d come back here, but I’m really thankful I got to come back.”
_Edited by Tyler Kraft | tkraft@themaneater.com_