Missouri players celebrate after a kill during a game against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
The Tigers continue to move towards the top of the SEC
Mizzou Volleyball completed an undefeated four match homestand with a four set victory (27-25, 25-12, 29-31, 25-18) over Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 6-3 lead with two kills by Kailin Newsome, the team’s leader in that category. The Tigers bounced back with a 3-1 run, 8-7, but three straight kills by Mississippi State (7-8, 1-5) put the visitors up 11-7.
Mizzou (13-5, 4-2) trailed by five heading into the media timeout, 15-10, after another kill by Newsome. Mychael Vernon then led the Tigers on a 6-0 run, recording four kills and a block assist, to take the lead.
Missouri’s Mychael Vernon (19) makes a hit during a game against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
The Bulldogs quickly recovered, though, and eventually forced set point with two consecutive kills by Amina Shackleford after some back-and-forth action. The right-side hitter finished the opening frame with six kills, hitting .667.
But Mizzou had the last word, putting together a massive 5-1 run with two Vernon kills to win the first set 27-25 on an attack error by Arianna Beckham.
After a tight first set, the Tigers decided to leave no doubt in set two.
Dawn Suillivan’s squad began the frame on a 7-0 run sparked by two kills and two blocks by Janet deMarrais. The streak ended on a Regan Haith attack error, but Mizzou quickly piled on a 6-0 run with a kill and two aces by Jordan Iliff to lead 15-2 heading into the media timeout.
“We were able to get them out of system and then allow our block, defense, transition to do work,” head coach Dawn Sullivan said.
Missouri’s Maya Sands (3) makes a hit during a game against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
Mississippi State showed some fight late in the set, cutting its deficit to ten with a 3-0 run including two Karli Schmidt kills. The Tigers clinched a 2-0 lead when Cayley Hansen’s service error gave the home team a 25-12 set two victory, setting up a possible sweep.
Mizzou stifled the visitors in set two, holding them to a .032 hitting percentage with five blocks, and the Tigers entered the third frame with plenty of momentum.
It wasn’t meant to be.
The two squads battled back and forth early in set three, but the Bulldogs moved ahead 17-11 with six straight points, including three attack errors by Mizzou. The Tigers narrowed the gap with a 5-1 run featuring three Iliff kills, but a kill by Schmidt forced set point, 24-20.
Missouri’s Jordan Iliff (4) hits the ball during a game against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
Mizzou put together another improbable comeback, scoring five straight points to make it match point, 25-24. A service error by deMarrais was the start of a close battle between the two teams, extending well into extra points until Mississippi State outlasted the Tigers 31-29 with a 3-0 run.
Mizzou struggled with offensive struggled with efficiency in the fourth set, hitting .208 and recording 10 attack errors – three each by the Tigers’ main hitters of Iliff, Vernon, and deMarrais.
“You can’t make 10 hitting errors and then expect to win a game,” said Sullivan. “We were right there in it, but that can’t be how we perform.”
Dawn Sullivan’s squad charged ahead of the visitors early in set four, taking a 10-6 lead with a 5-1 run led by two Vernon kills. The Bulldogs cut their deficit to two before Mizzou went on a 5-0 streak with back-to-back aces by Marina Crownover, 15-8.
Mississippi State fought to get back into the set, coming as close as four points away at 19-15 after two straight errors by the Tigers, but a 3-0 run for the home team with two straight kills by Vernon put the match out of reach.
Vernon sealed the win with her 22nd kill of the match, taking set four 25-18 and extending the Tigers’ win streak to four matches.
Iliff and Vernon lifted the team to victory in the fourth frame, each recording seven kills, while the Oregon State transfer also added five digs.
Mizzou ended the match with a .290 hitting percentage, hitting above .350 in the first two sets and below .275 in the final two frames.
Jordan Iliff led the Tigers with 23 kills on a .315 hitting percentage, also adding 12 digs and four service aces. Mychael Vernon was just behind Iliff with 22 kills, hitting .378 and playing a key role on defense with 14 digs.
Janet deMarrais never found her groove in this match, hitting .081 on 10 kills with seven attack errors, but middle blockers Colleen Finney and Regan Haith both recorded over seven kills and hit above .300 while tying for the team lead with three blocks.
The defense was hot-and-cold, holding the Bulldogs to a hitting percentage below .125 in the second and fourth sets but allowing them to hit above .290 in the first and third frames. Mississippi State ended the match with a .219 hitting percentage, and the Tigers recorded seven blocks and 77 digs.
The star of this match might have been reigning SEC Libero of the Year Maya Sands, though, who tied her career high with 30 digs alongside 10 assists and a service ace.
Missouri’s Jordan Iliff (4) listens to her coach during a game against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
“I’ll tell you, Maya is unreal,” Sullivan said. “We can put her anywhere and she’ll keep that ball nice and high, and allow us to transition [to our offense].”
Setter Marina Crownover and Sands teamed up on defense, with the libero saving her from a tough situation more than once.
“She had balls where it was supposed to be mine and she just slid in, got it, and I’m like, ‘Thank God,’” Crownover said. “I really feel like I can trust her in the backcourt – she’s gonna get digs up… and also on the assists side, whenever I take the ball, I know she’s gonna go and put up a great ball for our hitters.”
Crownover was also a dynamic contributor today with 55 assists, two aces, two blocks assists and two kills.
Missouri’s Marina Crownover (22) celebrates during a game against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
“For me, it’s just trying to help out my hitters,” Crownover said. “Being a hitter, trying to be active myself, helps free up my hitters a little bit.”
Mizzou continued to display improvement today, as the defense continues to show growth throughout this winning streak and the team tamps down on some of the mistakes and weaknesses we saw earlier in the season.
“We’ve been focusing a lot on our defense, and so [I’m] really proud that we were able to step up in that area and dig those balls up to allow us to have some transition,” said Sullivan. “I think when our defense is flowing right, we have a ton of success.”
The Tigers are now tied for third in the SEC heading into a Friday night showdown with Arkansas, setting up a battle for sole possession of third in the conference.
“I think this team knows how to battle, they know how to face adversity,” Sullivan said. “I’m just really excited to see what they can do on the road.”
Mizzou now has the chance to make another statement in Fayetteville, with the match starting at 7 p.m. The action will be streamed on SEC Network +.
Missouri head coach Dawn Sullivan celebrates a big kill during a game against Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, at the Hearnes Center. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
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