 Sports News Search Classifieds Oustanding season ends bittersweet for Cougars
April 21, 2000 
The recently-crowned national champions were born in 1997, the children of then co-coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow. The cause of death was listed as a combination of Title IX and the restructuring of the Columbia College athletic department, but foul play has not been ruled out. The team is survived by the two-time defending national champion women’s volleyball team, conference champion men’s soccer, men’s basketball and softball. Memorials may be sent to Southwell Gymnasium, 1001 Rogers St., Columbia, Mo. 65201. Consider this the unofficial obituary to the NAIA’s best volleyball program. This could have been the feel-good-story of the year if it weren’t for the sad ending. What the Cougars accomplished this season was made all the more remarkable by the obstacles they overcame in a wildly improbable season. It was a season that saw co-coaches Wayne and Susan Kreklow leave in early February and graduate assistant Xu Bing take over. It was a season in which the team dealt with a number of injuries and the unexpected departure of star outside hitter K.C. Trimble. It was a season in which the team learned in late March that its varsity program would be turned into club status yet still managed to beat defending champion California Baptist 15-11, 15-12, 15-9 in the NAIA finals. And yet, after all that, Columbia College men’s volleyball will play no more. “That last game was bittersweet,” said senior setter Mike Taylor, who was named to the All-NAIA Tournament team. “Everyone played like a senior out there, because essentially that’s what we were.” This year the Cougars finished with an overall record of 29-2. The team’s two losses were both at the hands of NCAA power Quincy University. Both matches went five sets. The team was led by Taylor’s vision, outside hitter Ivan Topchiysky’s consistent play, opposite Winder Montano’s explosive scoring and a relentless defense that wasn’t afraid to get floor burns to save points. “When Wayne and Susan (Kreklow) left it pushed our players to prove their capability,” Xu said. “They said to themselves that ‘we will win the national championship and show everyone that this is a successful program.’” The season started with great expectations. The Cougars were coming off a second-place finish to Cal Baptist the year before and were eager to win the title.. “The Kreklows said that this team would be better than last year’s team and we were able to prove that,” Xu said. The Cougars went on to post an undefeated record in the Midwest Volleyball Intercollegiate Association for the third year in a row. But the departure of the Kreklows in early February left the players stunned. “When they left us we had to regroup and work out any kinks that we had,” Taylor said. Passing was one of the concerns the team had early in the year. It was evident in the first loss to Quincy on February 6, days after the departure of the Kreklows. Columbia had several chances to put away the stronger Quincy team but missed timing on spikes and poor set-up passes led to the heartbreaking five-set loss. The team came together and put on a 22-match winning streak before losing to Quincy again. But the turning point in the season was the first match against Cal Baptist in Los Angeles. “We went out there and played our game,” Taylor said. “We kept them on their heels and they never stood a chance.” Columbia College shocked the Lancers, winning in three sets. At that point the Cougars received the No. 1 seed in the NAIA polls and all of a sudden were favorites to win it all in the national championship tournament. Leading the Cougars in the offensive end was Montano, a Venezuelan national team veteran. The 6-foot-5 freshman dominated the tournament and led all scorers with 7.6 kills per game en route to taking home tournament MVP honors. “I was very pleased to finish out the way we did,” Montano said. “But none of my accomplishments would have been possible without the help of my teammates. They made everything possible.” Taylor was at the passing end of many of Montano’s monster spikes. The St. Louis native led all tournament setters with a 15 assists per game. “We had incredible support all year, but we even had some of the MIVA teams cheering for us in the championship game,” Taylor said. And with good reason. Many Cougar players are expected to leave Columbia College and play volleyball at the varsity level elsewhere next year. “It was kinda funny. The second the final was over, coaches from the other teams were recruiting our players,” said Xu, a former Cougar player. “But at the same time it was sad. I finished playing for the team last year but I still feel like I’m still on the team. I’m going to miss being part of all this.”
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