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| Match | Location | Day/Time (CT) | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Mississippi State | Columbia, Mo. | Friday // 6:30 p.m. (CT) | SEC Network+ |
| vs. Tennessee | Columbia, Mo. | Sunday // 11 a.m. (CT) | SEC Network |
Game Notes: Mizzou |
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou volleyball team will officially open defense of its SEC Championship this weekend as it takes on Mississippi State and Tennessee to kick off conference play at the Hearnes Center. The Tigers will face MSU at 6:30 p.m. Friday on SEC Network-Plus. Sunday's contest with the Lady Vols will be at 11 a.m. on SEC Network, the first of a league-high 10 appearances on SEC Network for the Tigers.
After going undefeated in SEC play a year ago, Mizzou has won its last 18 conference matchups and Mizzou is 28-10 in two seasons as members of the SEC. The Tigers have won each of their SEC openers since joining the league as well - a 3-2 win over Tennessee in 2012 and a sweep of South Carolina a year ago. This will be the third consecutive year that Mizzou will open SEC play at home. Mizzou is 15-4 at home all-time in SEC play.
Mizzou had its season-long five-match winning streak snapped on Saturday at Miami, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as Mizzou is 4-0 when following a loss this season and has not dropped back-to-back matches in 2014. In matches following a loss, Mizzou is:
- Hitting .260 as a team and averaging 13.26 kills per set
- Averaging 2.24 blocks per set and 15.26 digs per set
- Limiting opponents to just 0.89 aces per game
- Has four players averaging more than 2.00 kills per set
Mizzou's Wayne Kreklow coached his 300th match at Mizzou last Saturday vs. UNCG. He is 197-104 in 301 career matches at Mizzou. Sunday's match vs. UT will be his 1,000th as a women's volleyball coach.
DYK? #Mizzou is the only school in the @SEC to have three players with more than 130 kills! #WIT pic.twitter.com/DAzrF5dJtq
-- Mizzou Volleyball (@MizzouVB) September 22, 2014
Recapping Miami
Mizzou went 1-1 last weekend in South Beach, defeating UNC-Greensboro, 3-1, before falling to host Miami, 3-1. Senior All-American middle Whitney Little led Mizzou with 24 kills on .467 hitting with 14 total blocks over the two matches. All-American outside hitter Carly Kan had 23 kills and a team-high 33 digs in the two matches as she now has an SEC-leading 11 double-doubles on the year, posting one in each of the matches last weekend.
Scouting The Competition
Mississippi State
Record: 5-10
Last Match: Lost 3-0 to Pacific, finishing 1-3 at the Bulldog Invitational
Players to Watch: Freshman libero Payton Harris has been tested plenty in her debut campaign, answering the bell with a nation-leading 390 digs and averaging more than seven digs per set.
- Sophomore MB Bali Lefall-Young leads MSU by hitting at a .346 clip. She has 58 kills in 127 attempts to go along with her team-leading 35 blocks (eight solo) on the season.
- Setting duties are split between juniors Shelby Anderton and Katlyn Mataya. Mataya leads Anderson in assists by a 273-212 margin.
Notes: MSU ranks eighth nationally in team digs with 954 on the season.
- The Bulldogs have played only two away matches this season and carry a 0-2 record.
- Mizzou took last year's meeting over MSU in straight sets. Sarah Meister and Carly Kan led the Tigers in digs in that game with 18 and 16, respectively. Mizzou clinched the SEC Championship with that win last season.
Tennessee
Record: 7-7
Last Match: Won 3-0 over Montana State to cap a 2-2 weekend at the DISH Lady Vol Classic
Players to Watch: Freshman OH Kelsey Bawcombe was named to the All-tournament Team of the Lady Vol Classic. She totaled 35 kills over four games on the weekend in addition to 32 digs and 10 blocks. The true freshman is hitting at a .129 clip this season.
- Junior setter Lexi Dempsey has already recorded an impressive 445 assists on the season, accounting for an assist on over 41 percent of Tennessee's total points. The California native also has 16 kills on the season.
- Sophomore OH Jamie Lea leads the Lady Vols with 111 kills on the season. She also has 88 digs so far in the campaign.
Notes: The Volunteers are just 1-3 in away matches this year.
- Only two Tennessee players with more than 100 total attacks - Kendra Turner and Raina Hembry - are hitting better than .200 so far this year.
- Exactly half of Tennessee's matches this year have been sweeps, and the Lady Vols carry a 2-5 record in those contests. UT claims a 4-2 record in four-set contests and won its only five-set match.
- Mizzou swept Tennessee in the only meeting between the two teams last season, with Carly Kan and Emily Wilson each finishing with 10 kills in the win in Knoxville.
