| Match | Location | Day/Time (CT) | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| at Georgia | Athens, Ga. | Sunday // 3 p.m. (CT) | SEC Network+ |
Game Notes: Mizzou |
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Despite a loss Wednesday night at Ole Miss, Mizzou volleyball has still won seven of its last nine matches and will head to Athens, Ga., on Sunday (Oct. 5) for a nationally-televised match with Georgia at 3 p.m. The match will air live on SEC Network with Melissa Lee and Missy Whittemore on the call. A win Sunday would be head coach Wayne Kreklow's 200th win as head coach at Mizzou.
Mizzou's offense has been incredibly balanced in league play thus far, something head coach Wayne Kreklow envisioned when implementing the 6-2 system that the Tigers are using this year. In SEC play, five Tigers are averaging more than 2.00 kills per set and those five players are averaging a combined 13.10 kills per set on .270 hitting in league play.
Mizzou and Georgia's series dates back to 1984 and Mizzou holds a slight 3-2 lead in the all-time series. However, the Tigers have never won in Athens with Georgia winning the only meeting in 2012 at Ramsey Center. Wayne Kreklow has faced Georgia three times, holding a 2-1 record in those matches. The Tigers won the most recent meeting, a 3-1 decision, at the Hearnes Center last season.
Freshman outside hitter Sydney Deeken is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week. Deeken averaged 3.42 points and 2.83 kills per set last weekend to open SEC play, earning her first career starts against Mississippi State and Tennessee. Now in the starting lineup after missing the first three weeks of the season with an abdominal strain, she reset career-highs in kills (10), hitting (.368) and digs (nine) against Mississippi State, and also had career-highs in attempts (21) and aces (two) against Tennessee. Deeken's 20.5 total points were second on the team last weekend. She had four kills and nine digs Wednesday night at Ole Miss.
Through three SEC matches, Mizzou continues to lead the SEC in digs per set at 15.11. Senior libero Sarah Meister leads the way with 4.33 and is coming off of a 17-dig outing at Ole Miss Wednesday. She is one of four Tigers averaging more than 2.33 dps in league contests.
Recapping Ole Miss
Mizzou had its streak of 20 consecutive SEC wins come to an end on Wednesday with a 3-0 (18-25, 23-25, 22-25) loss at the hands of Ole Miss. Senior outside hitter Emily Wilson led the way with 13 kills, but Mizzou coughed up leads of three or more points in each of the three sets as it fell to the Rebels. Senior libero Sarah Meister pulled in a match-high 17 digs, but 22 attack errors proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome. Ole Miss blocked Mizzou 11 times in the match, which featured 15 ties and 11 lead changes. Sophomore middle Emily Thater added seven kills and two blocks on .286 hitting as her 9.0 points were second-best on the team in the loss.
Scouting The Competition
Georgia: 8-6, 0-2
Last Match: Lost 3-1 to Auburn to fall to 0-2 in SEC play.
Players to Watch: Senior MB Lauren Teknipp leads Georgia with 144 kills on the season and holds a .269 hitting percentage. She averages 0.92 blocks per set and has accumulated 180 points, which accounts for almost 21 percent of the team's total points on the year.
-Sophomore MB Desiree McCray has served as one of the Bulldog's strongest defenders with a total of 71 blocks this season, averaging 1.42 blocks per set. She was named the SEC Defensive player of the week back in early September.
-Senior OH/RS Tirah Le'au is another dynamic force for the Bulldogs with 142 kills on the season and 177 points. In addition, she averages 3.22 digs per set and has recorded a total of seven double-doubles.
Notes: The Bulldogs have not been swept by any opponent this season.
-Georgia has a fairly young team with eight underclassmen and only five juniors and seniors.
-Mizzou took last year's match over Georgia 3-1. Three different Bulldogs recorded over 10 kills in the match, but Lisa Henning answered back with a total of 20 kills herself to give the Tigers the win.
