University of Missouri
18-10 (11-4SEC)
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Mississippi St.
9-21 (0-15SEC)
@MizzouVB Opens Weekend With 3-1 Victory at Mississippi State
11/17/2017 9:20:00 PM | Volleyball
Tigers storm back with three-straight set wins after nearly falling behind 2-0 overall
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mizzou Volleyball (18-10, 11-4 SEC) opened its weekend with a 3-1 (20-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-16) victory Friday evening at Mississippi State. The Tigers dropped their opening set and nearly fell behind 2-0 overall, but stormed back in a big way with three consecutive set victories.
#ShowMe Top Performers
- Kira Larson: 18 kills (career high) on .545 hitting, 2 aces, 8 digs, 4 total blocks
- Alyssa Munlyn: 14 kills on .458 hitting, 2 solo blocks, 5 total blocks
- Sydney Deeken: 10 kills on .474 hitting
- Courtney Eckenrode: 35 assists, 8 digs
Hear From Head Coach Wayne Kreklow
On tonight's victory over the Bulldogs…
"It was a battle tonight. Mississippi State played with a lot of heart. They made things tough for us all night long. I thought we settled in after the second set and started to execute better. Things are never easy on the road and tonight proved to be no exception."
#Mizzou Takeaways
- Larson was virtually unstoppable in the opening set, posting six kills (zero errors) on .600 hitting.
- Mizzou's blocking efforts came out of the gate strong, highlighted by multiple total blocks from Munlyn and Kayla Caffey.
- Solid blocking and efficient hitting by Mississippi State (17 kills on .325 hitting) led to its first set triumph.
- Larson continued her torrid pace with six additional kills in the second set. She stood with 12 kills on .632 hitting over two sets of play.
- The Tigers trailed 24-22 in the second set and were in serious threat of falling behind 2-0 in the overall match. Mizzou responded in a big way, producing a 4-0 run to even the match at one apiece.
- With her ninth kill of the night in the third set, Munlyn surpassed 700 kills for her career.
- Behind excellent serving from Melanie Crow, highlighted by two aces, the Tigers reeled off a stellar 9-0 scoring run early in the third set.
- In that run, Crow also surpassed 1,500 points in her standout collegiate career.
- Larson established a new 2017 season-high in kills after her 14th strike in the third set. Her previous high this year was 13, which she accomplished on three separate occasions.
- Mizzou's offense was key in its third set triumph, posting 16 kills on .343 hitting. It marked the Tigers' second consecutive set of hitting .300 plus, as they recorded 16 kills on .433 hitting over their second set win.
- The Tigers earned their 10th total block of the evening in the fourth set, securing the team's 17th double-digit total block match of the season.
- Caffey eclipsed 100 total blocks this season, joining Munlyn as Tigers with 100-plus stops at the net.
- Riley Sents posted a strong defensive showing in the back row, finishing with 20 total digs. It marked her fifth match this season with 20-plus digs.
Up Next
The Tigers conclude their 2017 regular season with a three-match homestand. Up first, Mizzou welcomes Arkansas to the Hearnes Center this Sunday (Nov. 19) afternoon. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT and the match will broadcast live on SEC Network.
Alabama visits Mid-Missouri the night before Thanksgiving next Wednesday (Nov. 22), while No. 4 Florida comes to town next Saturday (Nov. 25). First serve at Hearnes is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and 1:30 p.m. CT, respectively. The Tigers' matchup against the Gators will mark Senior Day, as Crow, Eckenrode, Kreklow, Larson and Deeken will be honored prior to the match.
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).
