
The Tigers watched the Wildcats celebrate their 8th consecutive SEC title
Mizzou Volleyball’s late season slump continues with a 3-1 loss (19-25, 14-25, 25-23, 20-25) to #12 Kentucky. Tonight’s loss is the team’s third in its last four contests.
Mizzou (19-8, 10-5) went toe to toe with their visitors to begin the first set, leading 9-7 after a 5-1 run featuring two kills and a block assist by Regan Haith. The Tigers led by two, 14-12, after a kill by Janet deMarrais and a Brooke Bultema attack error.
Then, Kentucky (20-7, 14-2) went on an 11-2 run with two aces and two kills by Brooklyn DeLeye, seizing a 23-16 which spanned two Mizzou timeouts. The Tigers narrowed the gap late with three kills but the Wildcats took the opening frame 25-19 on a kill by Jordyn Dailey.
After a tight start to set two, 6-6, runs by the visitors again defined the frame. Kentucky jumped ahead to a five point lead with a 6-1 run powered by two more kills and a block from DeLeye.
Mizzou trailed by five, 15-10, after a service error by DeLeye out of the media timeout. The Wildcats only built out their lead from that point, using two more 3-0 streaks to create a double-digit lead and clinch the 25-14 set two win with an ace by Megan Wilson.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25762461/IMG_1307.jpg)
Karen Steger Professional Photography/Rock M Nation
Kentucky continued to thrive in the attack in the second set, hitting .462 with three attack errors while holding the Tigers to a .103 hitting percentage. Sullivan’s squad recorded six attack errors for the second straight set.
Facing a sweep, the Tigers’ offense came alive. Leading by one, Mizzou burst ahead 13-7 with a 5-0 run. Sullivan’s squad then spent the rest of the set trying to keep the Wildcats at bay, maintaining a five point cushion as late as 21-16 after a Maya Sands ace.
That’s when the visitors made their big push, a 4-0 run bookended by Megan Wilson kills to slash the lead to one. But the two teams went back-and-forth siding out for the rest of the set, and the Tigers took set three 25-23 on a kill by Iliff.
Mizzou’s offense jumped to a .412 hitting percentage in this frame after hitting below .200 in the first two sets, and limited itself to three attack errors. Kentucky hit .314 in the set but was outpaced by the Tigers’ offensive onslaught.
Sullivan’s squad carried their newfound momentum over the the fourth set, using two 3-0 runs to take an early four point lead. Mizzou tacked on a 4-1 streak to pull ahead 12-6 and take a commanding advantage.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25762457/IMG_1303.jpg)
Karen Steger/Rock M Nation
The Tigers briefly kept the Cats at bay, 16-10, before a 5-0 run by the visitors shrunk the lead to one. Kentucky tied the set, 18-18, on an Emma Grome service ace. But Mizzou moved back ahead 20-18 after a kill by Finney and bad set by Grome, moving closer to forcing a decisive fifth set.
Instead, Kentucky left the Tigers far behind with a 7-0 run to close out the match, winning set four 25-20 to clinch the victory and an outright SEC championship. The Wildcats have won at least a share of the SEC title every season since 2016, when Mizzou and Florida split the crown.
The Tigers’ offense fell back to earth late in set four, finishing the frame hitting .138, and hit .220 for the whole match. Sullivan’s squad totaled 19 total attack errors.
Kentucky, meanwhile, hit .377 for the match and finished with a hitting percentage above .300 in each set. The visitors were led by their star sophomore Brooklyn DeLeye, who finished the match with 19 kills on a .359 hitting percentage.
Jordan Iliff led the way for Mizzou with 14 kills on a .303 hitting percentage and three block assists, while Mychael Vernon reached the 1,500 career kills mark with 13 and hit .116.
Regan Haith added 11 kills on a hyper-efficient .455 hitting percentage and led the team with four blocks.
Marina Crownover looked closer to her regular self tonight with 41 assists and 5 digs, while Maya Sands flew around the court for 14 digs and added three aces at the service line.
This team is hitting a slump at one of the worst possible times, struggling to locate their swings on offense and unable to find the frantic but effective style of defense we’ve seen as the squad has strengthened over the course of the season. During the last three losses, this team’s highest likely tournament seed has dropped from a four to a six – a five is still possible, but the committee would have to be very bullish on the Tigers.
Mizzou’s final regular season match against Auburn has taken on even more significance as the team hopes to lock in a far more manageable six seed, which would greatly ease the path to achieving the goal of a Sweet Sixteen berth.
The Tigers will welcome their visitors from The Plains Saturday at Hearnes Center after the Battle Line rivalry across the street at Faurot. The Senior Night match will start at 7:30 p.m. and be broadcast on SEC Network+.
We’ve gone final from the Hearnes Center.
Mizzou wraps up the regular season on Saturday when it hosts Auburn at 7:30 p.m. for Senior Night.#MIZ pic.twitter.com/aqIbDYNoau
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) November 28, 2024
0 Comments