Wrestler Kills Family

Volleyball team continues to rank high in recruiting

When the Missouri volleyball team closed the most successful decade in program history with consecutive absences from the NCAA Tournament, it appeared to mark the end of an era.

Just not to the people who mattered most.

Coach Wayne Kreklow knew what was on the way.

A pair of highly ranked recruits — setter Molly Kreklow and outside hitter Lisa Henning — helped lift a veteran MU team to the Sweet 16 last season, and the Tigers are restocking with a similarly accomplished line of prospects.

“What’s really exciting is the ability to layer one good class on top of the other,” Kreklow said. “Molly and Lisa, that class coming in was ranked in the top 20” by prepvolleyball.com, “this group is 22, and I think our 2012’s coming in will be in that range. We’ll be young, but we’ve got some kids that can play.”

As MU continues its summer workouts, one of the greenest teams in the Big 12 is hopeful that talent will trump experience in its quest for a return trip to the postseason.

The Tigers lost four of their top seven players, including star libero Caitlyn Vann, four-year starter Julianna Klein and all-conference outside hitter Paola Ampudia. Yet they return three core players — Kreklow, who finished second in the league with 11.7 assists per set last season, Henning and senior middle blocker Brittney Brimmage — and add three of the nation’s top 100 recruits.

Missouri’s seven-member recruiting class includes Jade Hayes, a 6-foot libero from Ozark who was named PrepVolleyball.com’s National Junior Player of the Year in 2009; Emily Wilson, a 6-2 all-state middle blocker from Omaha, Neb., and the younger sister of departing MU starter Catie Wilson; and Whitney Little, a 6-3 middle blocker from Keller, Texas.

“Our whole group of incoming freshmen stand a very good chance of being major contributors right off the bat,” Wayne Kreklow said. “It will be interesting to see.”

Asked if the NCAA Tournament is a realistic goal, Kreklow said, “I really do. That’s obviously still the goal that will be of paramount importance. I think the talent is there to do it.”

One key factor could be the continued emergence of Brimmage. The East St. Louis, Ill., native arrived at Missouri as one of the league’s most athletic players — she can reach nearly 4 feet above the net — but without polish. Brimmage only began playing organized volleyball in high school.

sport and news: WWE Raw: CM Punk's Return Kills Best Storyline in ...

When CM Punk publicly announced that on July 17th his contract with WWE was finished, the company had the best storyline it had in ages.

At first, WWE Creative took that ball and ran with it. On an episode of RAW, Punk came out and bashed everything he could about the WWE, from the talent, to the bosses, to the fans, and the McMahon family. That one promo brought back flashes of one of wrestling's golden ages, the "Attitude Era."

Punk said and did things that were not allowed by wrestlers during the current "PG Era."

First he came out wearing a Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt, appearing at an event with any wrestling attire that is not your own is a big 'no-no' in the company.

Then he threw out a few curses, something which has certainly been curbed since the "PG Era" started.

He mentioned former wrestlers, wrestlers in other promotions and other wrestling companies.

He said the words "wrestler" and "wrestling," which were recently banned from the WWE because they feel they are not a wrestling company but an entertainment juggernaut.

After this tirade, Punk had the IWC buzzing. I found myself asking: 'Was that real, or just another part of the show? It had to be real, he just broke EVERY rule in wrestling!' And the best promos are the ones that seem real.

In the following weeks, Punk demanded an in-ring contract negotiation with Vince McMahon, and when those fell through, he predicted that he would defeat John Cena and leave the WWE with its most prized possession: the WWE Championship.

Could he really do it? Could CM Punk beat the odds and actually defeat "Super Cena" at a Pay-Per-View with the title on the line?

At the Money in the Bank PPV he did just that. He took the title and ran. Questions of what would happen now were flying around the IWC.

The next night on RAW there was no CM Punk and no WWE Championship. Both were out and hitting the social media world, with Punk tweeting pictures of himself and the Championship belt at various locations.

This is one of the smartest things Creative could have done. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are some of the best ways for wrestlers to keep in touch with their fans and for the WWE to see what their fans want.

For example, when Punk demanded that McMahon bring back the discontinued WWE ice cream bars, it immediately became a trending topic on Twitter. Look what social media has done for Zack Ryder's career. He is a YouTube sensation with his "Z! True Long Island Story" skits, and the fans love him...now he is Teddy Long's assistant on Friday Night Smackdown. The "Ryder Revolution" is in full effect and the Broskis have control of Friday nights.

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