University of Missouri
7-7 (0-1SEC)
(#10) Kentucky
10-2 (1-0SEC)
@MizzouVB Falls to No. 10 Kentucky Wednesday, 3-1
9/20/2017 10:54:00 PM | Volleyball
Tigers take opening set, but Wildcats respond with three straight set victories
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Volleyball (7-7, 0-1 SEC) hosted its 2017 home and Southeastern Conference opener Wednesday in front of 1,601 black and gold fans. The Tigers claimed the opening set against visiting No. 10 Kentucky, but dropped the next three en route to a 3-1 (25-19, 18-25, 19-25, 19-25) loss.
Top Performers
- Melanie Crow: 8 kills, season-high 2 aces, 4 digs, 3 total blocks
- Alyssa Munlyn: 6 kills on .385 hitting, 4 total blocks
- Ali Kreklow: 18 assists, 3 digs
- Kira Larson: 5 kills, 2 aces, 7 digs, 3 total blocks
Hear From Coach Kreklow
On tonight's match against the Wildcats…
"We did a lot of things pretty well, but offensively we really struggled. What you saw is, when we were able to get swings and attack them a little bit more then we were having some success and either closing the gap or going point for point with them. But what we were having trouble with, is we weren't consistent enough. In that last set we got into trouble and in one rotation we gave up five points in a row. In a volleyball match letting a five-point split like that in that point of the set is really hard to come back against."
"It's just going to take a little bit of time. Like I said, going into this, Kentucky is just in a different place than we are. They're smoother, they're more polished and they've got a lot of veteran people back. They're No. 10 in the country for a reason. They're legit. I guess the positive takeaway for me is I felt like most of those sets we had chances and we were really close. We just aren't quite there yet."
Hear From The Tigers
Larson on tonight's match against the Wildcats…
"Even though we lost, we made a lot of progress I think. One thing we're taught is to never take sets off. Obviously, tonight didn't go in our favor, but I was really proud of the girls. We need to want it more. We lost by small increments, and I think the hard thing is you win and lose by small increments in this game. Working on closing that gap is another thing we've been working on as a team."
#Mizzou Takeaways
- Wednesday's loss marks the Tigers' first-ever SEC opener loss since joining the conference in 2012. Mizzou entered the night with a perfect 5-0 record in its conference opening matches the past five years.
- For the fourth consecutive match and ninth time this season, the Tigers tallied double-digit blocks in a match. Mizzou's 12 total blocks against the Wildcats were led by Munlyn and Kayla Caffey's four individual total blocks apiece.
- Munlyn's four total stops at the net improved her career total to 384, moving into fifth place all-time in Mizzou Volleyball history.
- Crow paced the Tigers' offense with eight kills and 12 points. It marked her third consecutive match with 10-plus points and fourth such occasion overall this season.
- Riley Sents paced the Tigers in single-match digs for a team-high ninth time this season. Her 12 digs against the Wildcats marked her fifth consecutive match with double-digit digs.
Up Next
The Tigers conclude their opening week of SEC play on Sunday, Sept. 24, at Texas A&M. First serve in College Station, Texas, is scheduled for Noon CT and the match will broadcast live on SEC Network.
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).
