Last time Missouri volleyball competed against a conference opponent, the match ended with a downpour of black and gold confetti, followed by the raising of a Southeastern Conference championship trophy.
Missouri had a successful 2016 season to say the least. By earning an SEC title and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen, the Tigers are now viewed as the team to beat going into conference play for the 2017 campaign.
Since their NCAA tournament loss last season, the Tigers have been competing to get better during the offseason in hopes of defending their conference title, but the rebuilding process has not come without a few bumps in the road.
“The team situation this offseason was very hard,” head coach Wayne Kreklow said. “We had several injuries, and some of our athletes, like Andie Hanus and Sydney Deeken, were not able to compete for us.”
Not only did the team face critical injuries during the offseason, but the possibility of losing a key player, outside hitter Melanie Crow, also became very real.
“Melanie did not compete at all during the spring because of her injury and had to step away for a bit,” Kreklow said. “She was even deciding if she needed to give up the game and not come back for her last year.”
Other than injuries, the program faced a huge gap in the lineup after losing five seniors in 2016.
In the offseason, the program added three freshmen and 10 returning players to its roster. Since August, the coaches and returning athletes have been working to get the freshmen comfortable in their new environment in order to build a stronger team.
“It is always hard for the freshmen because the game is faster, and the athletes you compete against are bigger, stronger and better at it,” Kreklow said. “On top of that, they are in school, but the freshmen are making great adjustments and we are very pleased with them.”
Not only did losing five seniors bring change to the lineup but to the team’s leadership status as well.
“Losing Carly Kan was hard; she was a leader and did everything really well,” Kreklow said. “The challenge every year is having to adjust when you lose those players. Every day it’s always striking how when personnel changes the team changes.”
The class of 2017 has stepped up to fill Kan’s shoes.
“Our leadership group is our seniors Melanie Crow, Kira Larson, Courtney Eckenrode, Ali Kreklow and Sydney Deeken,” Kreklow said. “As a group, they are working hard to take on that role, and it’s not easy and is a big adjustment for them. As coaches, we try our best to help; we sit down and talk with them often.”
While working to prepare for tough conference opponents the team will face, the Tigers dealt with several obstacles that restrained the team from progressing to the shape they wanted to be in for the start of the regular season.
“This has been a really difficult preseason because of injuries and having people out of the game at different times,” Kreklow said. “It’s hard to develop a system and a cohesiveness with the team.”
Last year, the athletes in the program spoke highly of how crucial the team chemistry was to its success. While struggles at the net make this year’s team chemistry look a bit shaky, the coaching staff is sure that this team bond is stronger than last year’s.
“The chemistry this year is stronger; we have a very together group of people,” Kreklow said. “Our group is on the same page.”
During the preseason, the Tigers struggled, losing to powerhouse teams such as No. 17 San Diego and No. 16 Utah. In conference matches, the team will have to play against other tough teams, like No. 10 Kentucky, No. 3 Florida and Texas A&M.
Defeating these tenacious programs would give the Tigers another shot at going to the NCAA tournament in December.
“We are going to have to do several things a lot better, but I am encouraged that we were able to knock off some good teams during preseason,” Kreklow said. “We can always improve.”
The Tigers’ ability to improve is a skill the team can build on and an advantage their opponents may not posses.
“Going into the season this time of the year against SEC opponents, I think that some teams are just so good they have no room to get better,” Kreklow said. “I feel that our advantage is always being able to work on improving our game.”
For now, the Tigers are focused on making progress.
“Our approach to all of it in general is to bring our ‘A game’ and play to the best of our ability,” Kreklow said. “Our task is to get better by challenging ourselves. If we prepare, we can win our fair share of matches.”
_Edited by Joe Noser | Jnoser@themaneater.com_