Story by Mizzou Athletics Strategic Communications Student Assistant, Megan Brenneke
COLUMBIA, Mo. - As with any team sport, the individual successes of players contribute to the overall success of the team and Mizzou Volleyball proved that time and time again this past weekend.
The Tigers kicked off the weekend with a match against Southeastern Conference opponent LSU. They started out slow but quickly turned it around behind strong individual performances.
"We've been working really hard to be steady," senior MB Alyssa Munlyn said. "Even when things aren't going our way. What is our attitude like? How are we approaching the next point? That's what won us that match."
Their mentality led to a three set victory over LSU. Munlyn made major contributions to the team's success last Friday. She hit a season-high .714 against the Tigers and recorded 10 kills. Sophomore OH Kylie Deberg was also a huge factor in the match, recording 15 kills, four aces and five digs.
The victory marked Mizzou's sixth straight-set win in SEC play this season and its success for the weekend was not over yet. On Sunday, the Tigers hosted Texas A&M and rallied to five sets to pull out the second victory of the weekend.
"I thought after that first set, we kind of settled in a little bit, and got used to the tempo and the rhythm." Mizzou Volleyball head coach Wayne Kreklow said.
The turn-around was driven by small changes and hustle of players who left it all on the court. Coach Kreklow noticed the heads-up mentality from many players including sophomore OH Leketor Member-Meneh.
"She did some things that don't show up in the stat sheets, so much as picking up some small balls, tips and roll shots, making some really heads-up hustle plays that kept rallies going," Kreklow said, "Those little things she did were really critical for us."
In addition to the little differences Member-Meneh made on the court, her 17 kills against the Aggies set a new 2018 single-season SEC match high. She attributed her success on the court this weekend and much of the success of the team so far this season to redshirt freshman S Andrea Fuentes.
"Like I've said always, she (Fuentes) is just really putting everyone in good positions to score," Member-Meneh exclaimed.
On Friday, Fuentes produced her team-leading seventh double-double of the year with 41 assists and 10 digs against LSU. She followed that impressive performance with a career-high 61 assists against the Aggies. She's the first Mizzou player to topple 60 assists in a match since 2010. The record breaking weekend led Fuentes to be named Week 10 SEC Co-Freshman of the Week.
After its success this past weekend, Mizzou advanced four spots in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll and is now ranked 20th in the country. The team is also still undefeated at home with three matches left this season in Columbia, Missouri.
The Tigers are 20-4 (10-2 SEC) heading into their next match at South Carolina this Friday night.