University of Missouri
11-0
Butler
3-8
@MizzouVB Continues Its Strong Start With 3-1 Win Over Butler
9/18/2015 7:57:00 PM | Volleyball
Junior Carly Kan falls one shy of her career-high with 25 kills
INDIANAPOLIS – Mizzou Volleyball claimed consecutive wins Friday in its 2015 Butler Invitational opening day as they defeated host Butler 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-11, 25-19) inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
"We came on real well in our final two sets tonight, leading to a solid win against a talented Butler team," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "Our team hit extremely well in the third set and that carried over to the final set as well. We'll come back tomorrow afternoon and be ready to finish strong against Youngstown State."
Junior Carly Kan (Honolulu, Hawaii) delivered her seventh 20-plus kill match of the season to lead Mizzou's attack. Kan finished with 25 kills on .418 hitting against the Bulldogs, falling one kill short of her career-high. The junior's 14 digs also secured consecutive double-doubles to open her Butler Invitational.
Sophomore Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) also recorded her second consecutive double-double to open this weekend's tournament, finishing with 24 assists and 11 digs.
Freshman Alyssa Munlyn (Suwanee, Ga.) matched her career-high in kills with 12 for the second consecutive match. Redshirt sophomore Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) had the Tigers' most efficient night, as she recorded 12 kills on .545 hitting. Larson has hit over .400 in six of Mizzou's 12 matches this season.
Butler used a 5-0 run to begin the first set and never looked back. Mizzou tied the set once, but the Bulldogs held their advantage throughout. Munlyn got off to another successful start for the Tigers, tallying a team-best six kills on .500 hitting.
Junior Alexa Ethridge (Lee's Summit, Mo.) racked up double-digit digs in the first set alone and ultimately finished with a team-leading 23 digs for the evening.
Mizzou improved its hitting in the second set and resulted in tying the match at one apiece. Kan and Larson each had strong efforts for the Tigers, resulting in six and three second set kills, respectively.
The Tigers exploded for 18 kills on .531 hitting en route to a dominating third set victory. Kan caught fire with seven kills on .636 hitting to lead Mizzou's outstanding hitting percentage. Larson and Munlyn also fared well as they combined for eight kills on .571 hitting in the third set.
Kan saved her best for last in the final set, tallying nine kills on .471 hitting to seal the Tigers' overall victory. In her final two sets, Kan had 16 kills with only one error resulting in a robust .538 hitting percentage.
UP NEXT
Mizzou concludes its tournament schedule Saturday at the Butler Invitational vs. Youngstown State. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT. The Tigers' final nonconference matchup is set for Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Saint Louis. First serve at Chaifetz Pavilion is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
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