Mizzou Volleyball’s SEC title hopes end in loss to Mississippi State

Nov 24, 2024 | Uncategorized

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Missouri head coach Dawn Sullivan talks to her team in a game against Florida on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

The Tigers just dropped arguably their worst loss of the season

After Mizzou Volleyball’s narrow five set win over Ole Miss on Friday, there were some causes for concern with the Tigers. Marina Crownover had struggled in the match, replaced by Sierra Dudley, and the team’s offense was highly error-prone over the first three sets.

Dawn Sullivan’s squad found a way to win Friday against the Rebels despite the issues. But Mizzou fell in a big 3-1 upset Sunday to Mississippi State (25-19, 20-25, 22-25, 24-26) as similar struggles reappeared.

The match started out well enough for the Tigers, who took a quick 5-0 lead in set one with a kill and solo block by Jordan Iliff. The Bulldogs slowly cut into their deficit, making it 12-9 on a Kailin Newsome kill, but Sullivan’s squad responded with a 6-2 streak to lead 18-11.

The Bulldogs made one final push with a 3-0 run, but three straight points in response by Mizzou put this set out of reach and the Tigers took the opening frame 25-19 on a kill by Colleen Finney.

Jordan Iliff caught fire in this set, finishing with seven kills on a .385 hitting percentage alongside one ace and a solo block.

Mississippi State came out with newfound determination in set two, seizing a 6-3 lead with three Amina Shackelford kills and then taking a 10-4 advantage on a 4-0 run. The Bulldogs added a 5-1 streak to lead by nine entering the media timeout.

The hosts led by double digits as late as 20-10 before Sullivan’s squad made a late comeback attempt, going on runs of 4-0 and 3-0.

But it wasn’t enough, and an attack error by Mychael Vernon gave Mississippi State a 25-20 set two victory.

The Tigers’ struggles with attack errors truly held them back in this set, as the team recorded eight errors in the second frame.

The Bulldogs’ momentum carried over to set three as the team jumped out to an early 9-2 lead, prompting a timeout by Dawn Sullivan. Mizzou wouldn’t go away easily, though, storming back to tie the set 12-12 with a 7-0 run featuring four kills and a block by Iliff.

The teams battled back and forth, the score knotted up or the Tigers holding a one point lead, as late as 19-18. Karli Schmidt then lifted Mississippi State to a 22-19 lead with three kills.

Mizzou again fought back, making it 23-22 after a Rebecca Walk attack error, but the Bulldogs scored the final two points of the set to move ahead two sets to one with the 25-22 win.

Mississippi State used another big run to jump out to the lead in set four, taking a 13-7 advantage with a 7-0 run featuring two service aces by Mele Corral-Blagojevich. The Tigers, also following the match’s pattern, quickly responded to cut their deficit to two on a Claire Morrissey kill.

Morrissey, a five star and top-five national recruit for the Tigers, entered the match for a struggling Janet deMarrais after playing sparingly all year.

This time, the Bulldogs didn’t immediately pull away. Sullivan’s squad came all the way back to tie it up, 21-21, on a 6-1 run.

Mizzou kept pace with its hosts for a moment, 24-24, but Mississippi State once again came through in clutch time to win 26-24 and pull off the upset.

The Tigers hit .232 for the match and recorded a hitting percentage above .270 in three of four sets, the exception being a .070 hitting percentage in the second frame. But the struggles of Mizzou’s main hitters in Iliff, Vernon and deMarrais played a large role in the defeat.

Iliff and Vernon both recorded 14 or 15 kills with hitting percentages between .160 and .190, while deMarrais ended the match hitting in the negative, -.040, and had more attack errors (six) than kills (five).

Claire Morrissey showed plenty of promise when filling in for deMarrais in the fourth set, hitting .667 on six kills with one block, but the decision to bring the five star freshman into the match underlined the team’s overall struggles.

This was especially clear at setter, where both Crownover and Dudley struggled and were switched in and out of the match multiple times.

Mizzou’s middle blockers, however, were one bright spot – Colleen Finney and Regan Haith both recorded double-digit kills, hit .360 or above, and Haith had five blocks. The team recorded double-digit blocks for the fourth consecutive match, another small silver lining.

But this squad has some major questions to answer after this week’s results, and not much time to answer them. The Tigers’ hopes of an SEC title are gone, and the goal of hosting the first two rounds likely is, too.

The next week will be critical for Mizzou as the team has two matches remaining on the regular season schedule: #12 Kentucky and Auburn. Their performance will make the difference between a favorable five seed or a tough first round matchup as a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament.

First up on the docket: the top-15 Wildcats at Hearnes Center on Wednesday night. The match will begin at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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