University of Missouri
4-0
Florida Gulf Coast
3-1
@MizzouVB Overpowers Florida Gulf Coast, 3-0
9/4/2015 5:45:00 PM | Volleyball
Junior Emily Thater led the Tigers with 10 kills and five blocks
TAMPA, Fla. – Mizzou Volleyball opened its weekend in grand fashion Friday afternoon with a convincing 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-16) sweep over Florida Gulf Coast. The Tigers have taken nine consecutive sets over their past three matches and moved their record to 4-0 on the young season.
"We were eager to open this tournament in a positive fashion, and our ladies did just that today against Florida Gulf Coast," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "I was real pleased to see great contributions from so many players. We once again improved on our attacking each set and it led to another solid team performance."
Junior Emily Thater (Springfield, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) were routinely Mizzou's top attackers on Friday. Thater finished with a season-best 10 kills on .667 hitting, while Larson recorded eight kills on .667 hitting.
The Tigers and Eagles traded blows to open the first set. Mizzou later took control with strong performances from Thater and Larson. Thater sealed the first set after her third block in the early going.
After subpar attack numbers in the first set, Mizzou powered back in the second set with 11 kills on .346 hitting. Thater and Larson once again led the way for the Tigers with five and four second set kills, respectively.
In the third and final set, five different Tigers tallied two or more kills. Junior Carly Kan (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Thater each paved the way with three kills apiece. Similar to past matches, the Tigers collectively hit their best in the final set as they recorded 13 kills on .478 hitting in Friday's third set.
For the third time this season, junior Alexa Ethridge (Lee's Summit, Mo.) led the Tigers in digs. Thater, Larson and freshman Alyssa Munlyn (Suwanee, Ga.) all tied for the team lead with five total blocks apiece. Senior Regan Peltier (Nixa, Mo.) finished with an impressive three solo blocks, setting a new career-high in the category.
Up next for Mizzou is two matches tomorrow in its final day at the South Florida Invitational. First, the Tigers face Arkansas State at 10 a.m. (CT) and later close their weekend against South Florida at 6 p.m. (CT).
Visit 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).
