Net Results, 8-11-14: Previewing SLU and the Idaho Invitational

Quick announcement first off: Net Results will be moving to twice a week starting this Wednesday with a preview of Mizzou Soccer's first exhibition game vs. North Carolina!

After hosting their first set of home matches in the Tiger Invitational, Misssouri Volleyball welcomes Saint Louis to the Hearnes Center for a mid-week matchup this fall. Then, VolleyZou travels to Moscow, Idaho for the Idaho Invitational, where they'll take on Idaho, Boise State, Portland, and Eastern Washington. Here's an preview of what the Tigers will be up against:

September 9th vs. Saint Louis

2014 Schedule
2014 Roster
2013 Stats

Players to keep an eye on

Meredith Roe, Junior Setter

After playing minimal time her Freshman year, Roe had a career year in 2013 with over 1,000 assists, and is one of 18 Billikens to reach that milestone in a single season. She turned in a career high performance of 65 assists against Northern Iowa, a record at Chaifetz Pavilion in St. Louis. The SLU offense flows through her, so if she's off, the offense is off.

Megan Gilbert, Junior Middle Blocker

A member of the All-Atlantic 10 First Team, Gilbert lead SLU on the offensive and defensive end with a .343 attacking percentage and 95 total blocks. Her attacking percentage is the second highest by a Sophomore in SLU history. She finished 13 matches with a hitting percentage of .400 or better.

Danielle Rygelski, Sophomore Outside Hitter

The A-10 Rookie of the Year, Danielle Rygelski hit the volleyball scene in a big way her Freshman year, racking up 420 kills off of .225 hitting, good for second best on the team. She is the best server on the team as well, returning with 33 service aces last season.

Early Prediction

While the Billikens roster returns mostly intact from the previous year, they were mostly outplayed in each of their OOC match-ups, winning just 4 of their 15 non-conference matches in 2013. SLU's offense is decent, but the defense finished near the bottom of the A-10 in several categories. Expect Carly Kan and Emily Wilson to put up some big numbers in this one. Missouri 3, Saint Louis 0

September 11th vs. Idaho (at Moscow, ID)

2014 Schedule
2014 Roster
2013 Stats

Players to keep an eye on

Jenna Ellis, Junior Defensive Specialist

Ellis cracked the Vandals record books after pulling in 465 digs in 2013, the 7th best mark in program history. Also averaged 4.01 Digs/Set, good for 10th best in program history and 5th best in the WAC. She tallied a career high 28 career digs in Idaho's five set winner of Stetson last fall.

Alyssa Schultz, Senior Middle Blocker

While departed Senior Jessica Hastriter lead the Vandals offense in 2013, Schultz definitely made an impact last year, turning in 290 kills on a team leading .376 hitting, the 2nd best mark in the WAC. Her career hitting percentage of .346 currently puts her at the top of the program record books as well.

Meredith Coba, Junior Setter

After dishing out just 10 assists in eight matches her first year at Idaho, Coba exploded with 1,178 assists in 2013, an average of 10.16 Assists/Set, good for 2nd in the WAC. She has 17 matches where she topped 40 assists or more, including a career-best 67 assist night in the Vandals win against North Texas. She also was a solid presence on defense, pulling in 219 digs in 2013.

Early Prediction

The Vandals will have already got their fill of SEC Volleyball earlier in the season with a trip down to Gainesville to play the Gators in August. How they perform there will give us an example of how we should expect them to look against Mizzou. Idaho returns leaders like Meredith Coba and Alyssa Schultz, and are probably the best team the Tigers will face in this tournament, but it won't be enough to get past the Tigers. Missouri 3, Idaho 0

September 12th vs. Boise State (at Moscow, ID)

2014 Schedule
2014 Roster
2013 Stats

Players to keep an eye on

Maddy O'Donnell, Sophomore Middle Blocker

Playing behind Junior Brittany Reardon, O'Donnell rotated in several times at Middle Blocker last season, starting 12 and playing in 24 matches. She racked up 104 kills and 45 blocks last year. She'll see playing time this year, but her full potential as a Middle Blocker may not be fully revealed until she's possibly the full-time starter in 2015.

Hannah Hubbard, Sophomore Libero

One of two Broncos to play in all 112 sets last season, Hubbard made each set count in her first year at Boise, leading the team with 428 digs at Libero. In 26 matches last year, she either lead, or was tied for the lead for most digs in the match.

Brittany Reardon, Senior Middle Blocker

Reardon made her way into the Boise State record books in 2013, finishing the year with a hitting percentage of .378, the all-time school record for the Broncos. She also tallied 198 kills and 95 total blocks, good for fourth on the team and first on the team respectively.

Early Prediction

The Broncos return all but two players from 2013, but lose long-time setter Carly Rose and Outside HItter Sarah Horton. The offense should see a dip in Kills production in 2014, but should still put up solid numbers in conference. Boise's defense, however, ranked near the bottom of almost every category in the MWC, and Missouri should take advantage of that for another sweep. Missouri 3, Boise State 0

September 12th vs. Portland (at Moscow, ID)

2014 Schedule
2014 Roster
2013 Stats

Players to keep an eye on

Katie Mardesich, Senior Libero

Mardesich was an otherwise bright spot on the Pilots relatively weak defense. She tallied a team-leading 335 digs for an average of 3.45 digs/set, with her best performance coming in Portland's loss to Kansas State, where she pulled in a career-high 24 digs in the loss to the WIldcats.

Makayla Lindberg, Sophomore Middle Blocker/Outside Hitter

A member of the West Coast Conference All-Freshman team, Lindberg was the second best offensive player for the pilots in 2013. She racked up 246 kills for an average of 2.51 kills/set. Lindberg turned in a 19-kill performance in the Pilots loss to the San Francisco Dons last October.

Djurdjina Milovic, Sophomore Setter

Although Milovic did not see much action in 2013, she's replacing former Setter Monica Jordan, who played nearly every set the last three years of his career in Portland. Jordan dished a career high 943 assists in 2013, leaving a big spot open in the offense this fall.

Early Prediction

Portland did not win a single match in 2013. They only won a total of 17 sets last season. I don't think I need to say much more. Missouri 3, Portland 0

September 13th vs. Eastern Washington (at Moscow, ID)

2014 Schedule
2014 Roster
2013 Stats

Players to keep an eye on

Allie Schumacher, Junior Outside Hitter

An All-Big Sky honorable mention, Schumacher started at Outside Hitter and played in 99 sets her Sophomore year at EWU. She tallied a team-leading 269 kills for an average of 2.72 Kills/Set in 2013, and lead the Eagles with six double-doubles on the year as well.

Ryaan Ensrud, Junior Defensive Specialist

Ensrud led the Eagles defense in 2013 with 367 digs in her Sophomore campaign, finishing the year with 19 double-digit dig games with five of those with 20-plus digs. She was also efficient on the serving end of things, ranking second on the team with 21 service aces.

Sophie Miller, Sophomore Setter

In her first season at EWU, Miller saw action in 66 sets at Setter, finishing with 173 assists and 46 digs. She was behind Lindsay Niemeier last year, but with Niemeier gone, Miller should see a huge jump in her numbers for 2014.

Early Prediction

The Eagles return all but two players from last years roster this fall, including All-Big Sky honorable mention Allie Schumacher. Eastern Washington ranked near the bottom half of each statistical category last fall, so don't be surprised if the Tigers take this game quickly and swiftly. Missouri 3, Eastern Washington 0