University of Missouri
1-0
Kennesaw State
0-1
@MizzouVB Defeats Kennesaw State in Thrilling Season Opener, 3-2
8/26/2016 9:42:00 PM | Volleyball
Tigers came back from 2-1 overall deficit to earn victory
KENNESAW, Ga. – Mizzou Volleyball faced a rambunctious home crowd on Friday evening and fought its way back from a 2-1 overall deficit en route to a thrilling 3-2 (22-25, 25-15, 22-25, 25-16, 15-10) opening night match victory.
"No matter where you play, it's always tough to win on the road and we came away with a big victory tonight," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "Kennesaw State had a lot of loud and excited fans in attendance tonight and it used that to its advantage. They played well but I was very pleased with how our ladies reacted in a tough environment like this. This is a big win for our group as we continue on this season."
Redshirt junior Melanie Crow (Wildwood, Mo.) was sensational in her Mizzou debut, recording a double-double (team-leading 16 kills and 14 digs). Senior Carly Kan (Honolulu) also shined on offense for the Tigers, tallying 15 kills with nine digs.
Mizzou rode outstanding defense in its final two sets and finished with 15.0 total blocks. Freshman Alyssa Munlyn (Suwanee, Ga.) led the way with seven total blocks (team-high two solo blocks).
The Tigers got off to a slow start on Friday, as their offense struggled in the first set. The opening set remained back-and-forth until Kennesaw State went on a 6-3 run to close things out. Kan and Crow paced the Tigers' offense with four kills apiece. Crow also led Mizzou in first set digs, finishing with six.
Mizzou bounced back in fine fashion and took the second set. The Tigers performed better across the board, highlighted by four service aces and six total blocks. Munlyn and senior Emily Thater (Springfield, Mo.) each recorded three second set kills to lead the offense. Mizzou's strong defense at the new led to Kennesaw State hitting -.087 over the set.
The host Owls took advantage of continued serving struggles by Mizzou, en route to a 25-22 third set triumph. Despite the team setback, Crow secured a double-double in her first career match with the Tigers (11 kills and 11 digs through three sets). The Wildwood, Mo., native tallied seven kills alone in the third set.
Similar to the victorious second set, Mizzou played well overall and tallied a 25-16 fourth set win. Kan exploded for six kills in the set, securing her first double-digit kill outing of the 2016 campaign. Mizzou's defense stepped up as well, totaling four total blocks in the set and giving it double-digit total blocks as a team. The Tigers swung well throughout the fourth set, recording 15 kills on .333 hitting.
Mizzou rode its sensational defense in the fifth and final set, racking up four total blocks in the set and 15.0 overall total blocks on the evening. An incredible six individual Tigers tallied at least one total block, highlighted by Munlyn's team-leading seven total blocks.
Junior Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) led the Tigers with 28 assists, while senior Alexa Ethridge (Lee's Summit, Mo.) paced the team with 24 digs.
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