
The Tigers will face the winner of the match between SMU and Wichita St. later tonight
Mizzou Volleyball advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday with a sweep of Texas State (25-16, 25-22, 25-22), the ninth consecutive tournament where the Tigers have won their opening round matchup when participating. The team will face the winner of the match between SMU and Wichita State later tonight on Friday.
Mizzou showed why it was the favorite from the beginning, racing out to an early 6-2 lead in the opening set with three kills by Mychael Vernon. Leading 8-5, the Tigers then went on a 7-1 run capped by a Jordan Iliff service ace to lead by nine.
Texas State battled back soon after with a 5-1 run, 19-13, including the team’s lone service ace of the set by MJ McCurdy. But Sullivan’s squad quickly went back to work and put away the Bobcats, clinching the opening frame 25-16 after an attack error by McCurdy.
Janet deMarrais lets it rip from the outside!!!
ESPN+ | https://t.co/1eUIJ63B3Z
#25 #Mizzou 13, Texas State 5 | 1st Set | #MIZ pic.twitter.com/M53W7CWXiL
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) December 5, 2024
Mizzou held Texas State to a .062 hitting percentage in the opening frame, and the Bobcats were held back by seven attack errors. The Tigers, meanwhile, were humming on offense from the start with a .400 hitting percentage.
“They were locked in and ready to compete,” head coach Dawn Sullivan said, “and played a really clean game that first set.”
Set two was a much different story, as this time Mizzou’s offense struggled with locating its hits. The two sides traded points early, and the Tigers held a 10-9 lead after a service ace by Kiaraliz Perez Catala despite recording five attack errors by that point in the frame.
The Bobcats remained a thorn in Mizzou’s side for most of the second set, tying the set 16-16 on a Jade Defraeye kill. That’s when Sullivan’s squad came alive, going on a 6-1 run to seize a 22-17 advantage with the help of two more Vernon kills.
Texas State made the Tigers sweat out the rest of the set, cutting the team’s deficit to two points multiple times, but a Maggie Walsh service error allowed Mizzou to breathe a sigh of relief with a 25-22 second set victory.
Mizzou Takes 2 #NCAAWVB x ESPN+ / @MizzouVB pic.twitter.com/bHGAkbrYcp
— NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) December 5, 2024
The Bobcats were slightly more efficient in set two, hitting .111 and limiting themselves to five attack errors, but their front row defense was what allowed them to stay in the contest with four blocks. The Tigers, meanwhile, hit .190 with eight attack errors.
Texas State came out determined in the third set, going on an early 4-0 run to lead 8-5, and another 3-0 run sparked by two McCurdy kills put the team ahead 11-6. Mizzou worked its way back into the set with a 5-0 run including two more kills by Vernon, 15-14, to set up a tight contest the rest of the way.
The Tigers took the lead in the set for the first time since it was 5-4 with a Janet deMarrais kill, 19-18. Tied at 20 after a Kiaraliz Perez Catala service error, Mizzou pushed ahead for good with a 4-0 run bookended by Vernon kills.
GRITTY.
ESPN+ | https://t.co/1eUIJ648Tx
#25 #Mizzou 20, Texas State 19 | 3rd Set (2-0) | #MIZ pic.twitter.com/sg5fmEAXum
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) December 5, 2024
Sullivan’s squad punched its ticket to the second round with Vernon’s 20th kill of the match, taking the third set 25-22 to win in straight sets.
“I just love how gritty they were coming back from behind in that third set, I just think that represents who we are,” Sullivan said, “We’re so relentless, really intentional, and they fight every single day.”
The Tigers cut down on the attack errors in the final set, recording four and hitting .265, but this time were held back by six service errors.
Despite the self-inflicted obstacles, Mizzou ended the match with a .270 hitting percentage while limiting the Bobcats to hitting .080. The Tigers’ outside hitters were key in this match, as Mychael Vernon recorded 20 kills on a .312 hitting percentage and Jordan Iliff hit .348 on 11 kills.
“I’m living out my dream right now, and I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else,” Vernon said, “This is a great last year for me, and I’m just enjoying every second of it.”
Colleen Finney was also an efficient contributor, hitting .545 with seven kills and adding two blocks, while Vernon and Regan Haith tied for the team lead with three blocks each.
Maya Sands and Kiaraliz Perez Catala were excellent on the defensive end, recording 20 and 11 digs respectively. Marina Crownover tied Perez Catala for second on the team with 11 digs while adding 40 assists, another double double for the native Texan.
Mizzou put together a strong, but not perfect, match and did what was needed late to end the contest quickly.
“I think we still have so much more to prove, so much potential,” said Colleen Finney, “I think even though we had a much better season than we did last year, how much can we keep continuing to tap into what I know where we could be?”
Now, the Tigers will need to tamp down on the mistakes for a likely matchup with 2-seed SMU tomorrow night.
That’s a First Round SWEEP!!! #MIZ | @NCAAVolleyball pic.twitter.com/aMBDIXLMKW
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) December 5, 2024
0 Comments