After defeating Baylor 3-1 Saturday, coach Wayne Kreklow celebrated with his team after they stormed the court following their match point, yelling “sweet” into his team’s mid-court huddle.
“I don’t really know the whole story, but I know he’s told the story to somebody here before,” sophomore setter Molly Kreklow said. “It’s been here for years. When I came here, I really didn’t ask questions. But whenever he says that, it means we’re supposed to be happy for our win because he thinks we played good. He saves it for special games, so it’s only happened maybe five times this year. It’s a special moment.”
The victory marked Wayne Kreklow’s 400th coach career win as the Tigers move to 20-9 and 6-6 in Big 12 play. The Tigers have now won 20 matches in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004 and 2005.
“I think it is a great accomplishment, but to be honest, I wasn’t even really thinking about it tonight,” Wayne Kreklow said. “All I wanted to do was beat Baylor because I knew what a big match this was for this team.”
The win against Baylor was essential, as Missouri is looking for momentum heading into a tough match against Iowa State tomorrow. Despite Missouri being out-dug and out-killed by Baylor, the Tigers held on to grab their 20th win of the season. The Tigers have never sat out of the NCAA tournament with 20 wins on a season.
Wayne Kreklow said he was glad the win held so much importance.
“If it was going to happen, I’m glad it happened (Saturday) because it was a very important conference match for us,” Wayne Kreklow said. “So right now, to me, that overshadows a great deal of the 400. But to get both in the same match is icing on the cake.”
He suggested that the win against Baylor might give the Tigers the extra push they need to defeat ranked teams, such as Iowa State and Texas, at home.
“This wasn’t an easy one,” Wayne Kreklow said. “Any time we’re put in a really tough spot against a good team and we can still come out on top, it’s one more big step for our team.”
A victory over Florida International University earlier in the season notched Wayne Kreklow’s 600th career win as a coach for women’s, men’s and assistant coach at both Missouri and Columbia College. He boasts 750 career wins coaching with his wife Susan Kreklow.
Wayne Kreklow said that though the win is meaningful, he is still focusing on the remainder of the season.
“Well, the latest win is always the best win,” he said. “So right now this ranks up there as number one, but in a few hours that may change. Honestly, in terms of milestone things, I think I just look at it is if I’m in it long enough, those things just kind of add up.”
The win marked the fifth out of the last seven matches for the Tigers. Wayne Kreklow said though he is continuously impressed with players like sophomore outside hitter Lisa Henning, he is also impressed with the improved play of the freshman.
“I think I’m just really pleased and proud of our kids, especially our young kids,” Wayne Kreklow said.
Molly Kreklow said the feeling is returned towards her coach.
“Obviously he’s a great coach,” Molly Kreklow said. “I mean, that’s a big deal. I’m pretty sure he’s really happy about it, so of course I’m happy for him.”
