| Match | Location | Day/Time (CT) | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| at LSU | Baton Rouge, La. | Friday // 7 p.m. (CT) | SEC Network |
Game Notes: Mizzou |
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou volleyball will head on its final road trip of the season this weekend, beginning with a Friday contest at LSU. The match will begin at 7 p.m. and air live on SEC Network-Plus. This is Mizzou's second meeting with LSU this season after the Bayou Bengals swept the Tigers in Columbia back in October, part of an 11-match winning streak in SEC play.
Mizzou's series with LSU dates back to 1981, but the teams had not met since 1985 before Mizzou joined the SEC for the 2012 season. LSU won the only two meetings between the two teams back in the 1980s, but Mizzou won the first three meetings after joining the SEC, including a perfect 2-0 mark in Baton Rouge. LSU swept Mizzou (-19, -20, -19) behind 12 kills on .611 hitting from Brianna Holman. Carly Kan led Mizzou with 12 kills on .312 hitting in the match.
Mizzou's offense continues to show great balance over the last seven matches as at least five players have had five or more kills in each of those seven matches. In fact, Mizzou had a season-high seven players post five or more kills in a five-set win over Ole Miss last Sunday. In the last four matches, at least six different Tigers have posted at least five kills. Over the last seven matches, Mizzou's top seven attackers are all averaging at least 1.35 kills per set and no more than 2.68 kills per set, showing incredible balance.
Freshman Kasey Reuter is coming off of her best weekend as a Tiger after posting 30 kills on .400 hitting in matches against Georgia and Ole Miss last weekend. Reuter reset career-highs in kills (15), hitting (.609), attempts (37) and digs (12) last weekend and tallied her first career double-double in Sunday's win over Ole Miss. She led the Tigers in kills and points last weekend as she continues to assert herself as one of the league's top freshmen in the second half of SEC play.
Mizzou's middles have been much more active over the last six matches. In fact, the trio of Whitney Little, Emily Thater and Julia Towler is averaging 35.3 attempts per match and averaging 4.50 kills per set on .382 hitting in that span.
Recapping Georgia
Mizzou volleyball lost to Georgia, 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 25-23, 17-25, 11-15), on Friday night. The loss drops the Tigers to 15-14 overall and 6-8 in SEC play. Freshman Kasey Reuter tallied a career-high 15 kills on .270 hitting and sophomore Julia Towler also finished with a career-high 10 kills, doing so on .412 hitting. Mizzou finished with more kills and more digs than UGA, but 35 attack errors cost the Tigers in the loss. In addition to 35 attack errors, Mizzou also committed five ball-handling errors, seven blocking errors and eight service errors in the match. In addition to Reuter and Towler, Mizzou got nice nights from Emily Wilson, who tallied 14 kills, and Regan Peltier who pitched in 10 kills. Senior Whitney Little (Keller, Texas) added nine kills on .278 hitting as well.
Scouting LSU
Record: 16-8, 11-4 SEC
Last Match: Lost, 3-2, to Mississippi State on the road last Sunday.
Players to Watch: LSU is led by sophomore MB Briana Holman, who is averaging 3.89 kills per set. Holman anchors the Tigers both offensively and defensively, boasting a team-high 370 kills and 146 total blocks.
- Junior OH Cati Leak has tallied 269 kills this season on.240 hitting.
- Using a 5-1 rotation, LSU utilizes senior setter Malorie Pardo, who has racked up 1015 assists in 2014, averaging 10.36 assists per set. No other LSU player has more than 65 assists.
- Libero Haley Smith leads the team with 414 digs this season. She averages 4.22 digs per set.
Up Next
Mizzou will play at No. 23 Texas A&M Sunday before returning home to face Alabama on Senior Night Nov. 26 in the final regular season match of the year. For all the latest on Mizzou volleyball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouVB.
