University of Missouri
2-0
Winthrop
0-2
@MizzouVB Tallies 3-0 Sweep Over Winthrop
8/29/2015 5:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Three Tigers finish with hitting percentage above .400
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Volleyball continued their early success Saturday afternoon with its 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-23) sweep over Winthrop. Junior Carly Kan (Honolulu, Hawaii), redshirt sophomore Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) and freshman Alyssa Munlyn (Suwanee, Ga.) all hit better than .400 in the victory.
"Two matches in a row, our team has hit really well collectively and played a big role into today's 3-0 win over Winthrop," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "I was pleased with a lot of players stepping up today, including strong performances from Carly Kan and Kira Larson. We look forward to another great match later tonight vs. North Texas."
Overall, Mizzou once again hit better than .300 as a team, finishing with 42 kills on .343 hitting. Kan paced the Tigers in kills for the second consecutive match with 14 on .464 hitting.
Sophomore setting duo of Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) and Ali Kreklow (Columbia, Mo.) shared the wealth again for their teammates, finishing with 16 and 17 assists, respectively.
Junior Alexa Ethridge (Lee's Summit, Mo.) led Mizzou in digs for the second straight match after delivering 12 against the visiting Eagles.
Mizzou wraps up the 2015 Tiger Invitational tonight at 6:30 p.m. against North Texas. The match will be streamed online through SEC Network + via WatchESPN.
Check in to MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Volleyball. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (Missouri Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouVB).
Game Notes
- Mizzou is now 2-0 on the young season after the win. It was Mizzou's first sweep since Oct. 31, 2014, against Arkansas, a streak that spanned nine matches.
- Saturday marked the first meeting ever between Mizou and Winthrop. With the win, Mizzou now leads the all-time series, 1-0.
- Mizzou hit .429 in the first set of the match, winning 25-21. It marked the third time in six sets that Mizzou has hit .340 or better this season. In fact, Mizzou hit .424 in the second and has hit .340 or better in four of eight sets this season.
- The Tigers have hit .300 or better in each of its two matches this season.
- Mizzou has also limited opponents to less than .200 hitting in back-to-back matches for the first time since Sept. 20, 2014, when Mizzou did so in back-to-back matches against Eastern Washington and UNC-Greensboro.
- In the second set, Mizzou tallied 16 kills, its most in a single frame so far this season and most in a set since the first set against Alabama last November when the Tigers had 19, a span of 11 sets.
- In two matches this season, two-time All-America Carly Kan has been sensational. In two matches, Kan has 35 kills on .458 hitting with 21 digs.
- Kan's 14 kills in the win were the most by a Tiger in a three-set match since Sept. 26, 2014, when Kan also had 14 in a win against Mississippi State. That was a span of 22 matches.
- Mizzou trailed in the third set, 8-2, before head coach Wayne Kreklow called timeout. Mizzou rallied to score 23 of the next 38 points to clinch the sweep.
- Sophomore Kira Larson finished with a career-high nine kills in the win.
- Mizzou had three players hit .400 or better in the win. It marked the first time that Mizzou had three players hit .400 or better since Nov. 16, 2014, when Mizzou defeated Ole Miss, 3-2. That is a span of five matches.
