University of Missouri
12-4, 2-2SEC
(#19) Kentucky
9-4, 3-0SEC
@MizzouVB Falls at No. 19 Kentucky, 3-1
9/30/2018 2:42:00 PM | Volleyball
Tigers nearly force a fifth and deciding set, but Wildcats escape with 29-27 fourth set win
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Mizzou Volleyball (12-4, 2-2 SEC) concluded its season-high three-match Southeastern Conference road trip Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 (25-21, 14-25, 17-25, 27-29) loss at No. 19 Kentucky.
The Tigers took the opening set behind a strong offensive effort, but Kentucky responded with back to back dominating sets to take a 2-1 advantage. Mizzou was in trouble again in set four, facing 19-14 and 24-21 deficits, but delivered a big rally to force extra points.
The Tigers possessed a pair of set points in set four, but the Wildcats answered with a thrilling 29-27 triumph to secure their match victory.
#ShowMe Top Performers at No. 19 Kentucky
- Dariana Hollingsworth: 15 kills on .303 hitting, 12 digs, 3 total blocks
- Andrea Fuentes: 43 assists, 5 digs, 3 total blocks
- Kylie Deberg: 13 kills, 8 digs, 3 total blocks
- Leketor Member-Meneh: 12 kills, 4 digs
Hear From Head Coach Wayne Kreklow
On Sunday's match inside Memorial Coliseum…
"I saw some good things today at times. We came out strong in set one and executed well. Our passing and ball control was good and it resulted in a lot of good swings. Our passing fell off in sets two and three and we weren't able to get much going offensively. I was pleased with the way our kids responded in set four. It would've been easy to give up after that third set, but we came back and fought hard point to point all the way to the end. If we can continue to focus and work hard in practice, we'll get there."
#MIZ Takeaways
- For the fourth straight match, Hollingsworth posted a double-double. The San Juan native finished with a team-best 15 kills and 12 digs against the Wildcats. Hollingsworth's four double-doubles this year ranks second on Mizzou, trailing only Fuentes' five.
- Deberg posted 13 kills Sunday, giving her double-digit kills in 15 of 16 matches played this season.
- One match after establishing a new career-high in assists, Fuentes one upped herself again Sunday with 43 assists against Kentucky. The San Juan setter has posted back to back matches with 40-plus assists.
- Tyanna Omazic's six total blocks matched her 2018 season high, as she has now accumulated the figure three times this year.
- Riley Sents has surpassed double-digit digs in 14 consecutive matches. Her 13 digs Sunday marked a team-high.
- Mizzou's blocking efforts delivered 11.0 total stops against the Wildcats, marking its sixth consecutive match with double-digit total blocks. Overall this year, the Tigers have surpassed the total 12 times.
- Kentucky got off to a hot start in set one, building a quick 5-1 advantage. The Tigers had an immediate answer with a set-high 6-0 run. The opening set was closely contested until the end, as Mizzou tallied a 6-1 run to clinch the victory.
- The Tigers' offense was fantastic in set one, posting 14 kills on .387 hitting. Four Tigers posted a team-best three kills, led by Munlyn's trio of kills on .500 hitting.
- Mizzou's defense also excelled, limiting the Wildcats to .081 hitting while tallying 3.0 total blocks. Omazic paved the way with a solo block and two block assists.
- Kentucky controlled set two throughout, as the matches' main statistics flipped sides. The Wildcats produced a .385 hitting percentage, while limiting the Tiger attack to sub .100 hitting.
- Mizzou jumped out to a better start in set three, as the match was even at 10 apiece early on. However, similar to set two, the Tigers began struggling in several facets of the game and led to a 12-4 Kentucky run.
- The Wildcats tallied a .350-plus hitting percentage for the second straight set, while also recording four total blocks in a dominant all-around effort.
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