Molly Kreklow’s dislocated pinkie wasn’t healed when Missouri kicked off play at the Pepperdine Ascics Classic. According to a team spokesman, Kreklow was still blocking one-handed and serving underhanded thanks to her finger problem.

And all she did was rack up a whopping 132 assists in three matches—all wins—over the weekend.

MU began play in Malibu, Calif. Friday with a 3-0 sweep of Eastern Washington. Kreklow tallied 37 assists in that match while MU hit .311 as a team, with Brittney Brimmage leading the way with a .412 hitting percentage. Paola Ampudia picked up 16 kills to pace MU in that department and hit .312 for the match.

After easily handling Eastern Washington, MU faced two fairly tough opponents Saturday in Rice and Pepperdine. Both teams—like MU—received votes in the most recent AVCA poll, making them the first two opponents MU has faced to be recognized in some form by the AVCA.

Thanks to 47 assists from Kreklow and tremendous performances from Brimmage, Ampudia, and Lisa Henning, MU stormed to its fifth consecutive match sweep against Rice in the first of two matches Saturday. Brimmage had 11 kills and a .381 hitting percentage, Ampudia 15 and .344, and Henning 14 and .393.

After taking the first set against Pepperdine in the nightcap, MU finally lost its first set of the year in the second frame, 25-21. That loss broke a 16-set unbeaten streak for MU.

But MU rebounded to win the next two sets and down Pepperdine 3-1 to improve to 6-0, the team’s best start to a season since 2005. MU went 12-0 to start that year, including a 21-set unbeaten streak to start the year.

Not that it means anything, but that 2005 MU team reached the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

Those expectations shouldn’t be placed on this 2010 MU team, especially because they’ve only played six matches this year. But Kreklow’s 52 assists, Brimmage’s 14 kills and .522 hitting percentage, Catie Wilson’s 12 kills and .407 hitting percentage, Henning’s 11 kills, and Ampudia’s 19 kills against a good Pepperdine team won’t do anything to keep MU’s early expectations down.

The most noticeable thing about MU so far is that, offensively, they’re not keying on one player. Last year, the offense was centered around Ampudia, who turned out to be MU’s only consistent hitter in 2009.

Through six games in 2010, it’s clear MU has far more options than they did in 2009. Not only can Ampudia be set, but Henning and Julianna Klein from the outside as well.

And the emergence of Brimmage—again, through six games—can’t be understated. Prior to the season, coach Wayne Kreklow mentioned that he thought Brimmage could be due for a huge year, and so far, he’s right. While Wilson and Brimmage were by no means bad at middle blocker last season, neither was able to establish herself as an offensive force.

So far, Brimmage has done just that in 2010. Wilson has also hit very well when she’s been set, too.

We won’t really know of what MU is made until Big 12 play begins and Kreklow, Brimmage, Henning, etc. go up against the likes of Texas, Nebraska, Iowa State, Baylor, Texas A&M, Oklahoma…you get the idea. Until MU goes up against some of the best (UT, NU, ISU) and better (BU, A&M, OU) programs in the NCAA volleyball landscape, we can’t truly get a gauge on where this team is.

But, this weekend, MU proved it can win on the road. In 2009, MU won seven matches away from Hearnes Center, those being against Utah Valley, Virginia Commonwealth, Morehead State, Fairfield, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas Tech. Virginia Commonwealth, Morehead State, and Fairfield were all neutral site matches. In “true” road matches, MU only beat Utah Valley (a program still in its nascent D-I stages), and Kansas, Colorado, and Texas Tech (three of the four bottom teams in the Big 12).

MU didn’t beat a single opponent at the level of a Pepperdine or a Rice on the road last year. The team already has two wins against good, quality opponents in 2010. Even with the most pessimistic of viewpoints, one has to admit MU has taken a step forward so far in 2010.

Even if it is only six matches in to the season.