
The Tigers will get a third crack at the Cats this season
Mizzou Volleyball will face a familiar SEC opponent in Kentucky on Thursday at 12pm CST in the NCAA Tournament. On the line? A trip to the Elite Eight and likely matchup with the top national seed Pitt on the line.
This matchup has not been kind to Mizzou in the past decade. The Wildcats have won both matches this season and the last thirteen dating back to 2016, when the Tigers took both contests.
I’ll break down the two matches from this season, key players for the Cats and what needs to change for Mizzou to advance to the next round.
Recent Matchups
October 6: 3-0 Loss (18-25, 20-25, 21-25) in Lexington
The Wildcats controlled the action from start to finish, with only seven ties and two lead changes during the match. Mizzou hit .103 for the match, piling up 21 attack errors as Kentucky recorded seven blocks. Meanwhile, the Wildcats had a .303 hitting percentage, finishing each set above .275.
Simply put, the Tigers were overmatched. Mizzou’s offense, one of the best in the conference, never found its stride. The team also struggled tremendously with front row defense at the beginning of the year, recording the fewest blocks in the SEC and the second-worst opponent hitting percentage at that time.
November 27: 3-1 Loss (19-25, 14-25, 25-23, 20-25) in Columbia
This match was Mizzou’s third loss in four contests. After struggling in the opening two sets, the Tigers found new life with a third set victory. The team’s momentum carried over to set four as they took a 16-10 lead. But Kentucky won 17 of the set’s final 21 points to pull off a massive comeback and avoid a fifth frame.
The Tigers were 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. But the third set victory and early momentum in set four foreshadowed the team’s recent return to form, allowing it to reach the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend.
Players to Watch:
Brooklyn DeLeye, 6-2 Outside Hitter – DeLeye was the top option for Kentucky all season, recording 487 kills (4.77 kills per set, 10th in the nation) on a .288 hitting percentage to be named the SEC Player of the Year. She was also named the AVCA South Region Player of the Year this season and was the SEC Freshman of the Year and an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention in 2023.
DeLeye recorded 19 kills, hitting .359 alongside five aces and five digs in her most recent matchup against the Tigers. She is one of the most dangerous servers in the nation, recording 52 aces to finish second in the SEC (behind Jordan Iliff) and ranks 19th in the country in aces per set.
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Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Emma Grome, 5-9 Setter – Grome has been the gold standard for SEC setters over the past four seasons, recording AVCA All-America honors each of the last three seasons and being named SEC Player of the Year in 2022. She led the conference with 1,156 assists and 11.22 assists per set, also ranking eighth in the nation. Grome is also an asset on the defensive end, tallying 234 digs and 58 total blocks this season.
Brooke Bultema, 6-3 Middle Blocker – Bultema has burst onto the scene this year for the Cats after redshirting in 2023, leading the team with 100 total blocks for 1.02 blocks per set. She also added 201 kills, hitting .284 to establish herself as a dual threat in the middle. Bultema made a big impact on offense in her last match against Mizzou, hitting .500 and recording 11 kills.
Keys to the Match:
- Limit Kentucky at the net: The Wildcats have hit .303 and .377 in their two matches against Mizzou this season, hitting above .300 in six of seven sets. The Tigers have recorded five and eight blocks, respectively, in those contests. That number needs to increase, stuffing the Cats at the net more like Sullivan’s squad did so well against 2-seed SMU last weekend (season-high 12 blocks). Getting more touches at the net will also slow the ball down, making life easier for Maya Sands and Kiaraliz Perez Catala in the back row and helping Mizzou transition more effectively to its attack.
- Serve tough, receive cleanly: Kentucky has been one of the best serving teams in the SEC, tied for the conference lead with 1.89 aces per set, and recorded 7 and 10 aces in their matches against the Tigers this year, respectively. Mizzou needs to limit those numbers, receiving cleanly and allowing the offense to stay in system where it is highly effective. Sullivan’s squad also needs to make some magic of its own from the service line, something they have been unable to do against the Cats this year with three aces each in the two contests. But the Tigers recorded 11 crucial aces against SMU, helping turn the tide of the match. Winning the battle at the service line could have a massive impact on the outcome of this matchup.
- Limit the errors on offense: Mizzou has struggled with attack errors in its last two matchup with the Wildcats, recording 21 and 19 attack errors, respectively. The Tigers limited themselves to three errors, hitting .412, in the one set they’ve taken from Kentucky this season. In their other six sets, they’ve averaged a little over six attack errors per frame and hit below .200. Staying low error will be an absolute must for this Mizzou offense if it wants to maintain the efficiency needed to take down the Cats.
Off to the Steel City for the Sweet 16 ✈️ #MIZ pic.twitter.com/nAe1cBLWx0
— Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) December 10, 2024
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