University of Missouri
6-1
Princeton
4-2
@MizzouVB Opens Towson Invitational with Friday Doubleheader Sweep
9/7/2018 9:48:00 PM | Volleyball
Tigers sweep Princeton, followed by five-set victory over host Towson in nightcap
TOWSON, Md. - Mizzou Volleyball (7-1) opened its quick weekend trip at the Towson Invitational with back to back victories Friday. In the morning, the Tigers swept Princeton (25-22, 25-16, 25-14) to set the tone early.
After building a 2-0 advantage in the nightcap against Towson, the host Tigers fought back to force a fifth and deciding set. Ultimately, Mizzou's fantastic defense at the net proved to be too much for Towson, as it claimed its second five-set victory this year (25-18, 25-17, 21-25, 29-31, 15-10).
#ShowMe Top Performers vs. Princeton
- Alyssa Munlyn: 12 kills on .667 hitting, 3 total blocks
- Tyanna Omazic: 6 kills on .400 hitting, 2 aces, 4 total blocks
- Dariana Hollingsworth: 10 kills on .304 hitting, 4 total blocks
- Andrea Fuentes: 25 assists, 2 aces, 10 digs
#ShowMe Top Performers vs. Towson
- Kylie Deberg: 15 kills, 2 aces, 3 total blocks
- Omazic: 14 kills on .407 hitting, 5 digs, 5 total blocks
- Leketor Member-Meneh: 10 kills, 2 aces, 9 digs, 3 total blocks
- Fuentes: 23 assists, 11 digs
- Jaden Newsome: 18 assists, 4 kills on .500 hitting, 3 total blocks
Hear From Head Coach Wayne Kreklow
On Friday's finale against Towson…
"I was pleased that we came away with the win in tonight's finale. Towson is a very scrappy and very good team. We were playing them at home and on a Friday night and we knew it was going to be a challenge. I thought we came out early and played well, but we let up and they stormed back and made it a tough five-set match. We've got to get better at being able to dial-in for longer periods of time."
#MIZ Takeaways
- The opening set against Princeton was a tale of two halves, as Mizzou trailed 16-12 midway through while only hitting .048. Mizzou quickly responded however, closing the set on a 13-6 scoring run, while not committing another attack error.
- Hollingsworth was efficient on both sides of the ball in the first set, leading the team in kills (four) and total blocks (two).
- After the aforementioned sluggish start in the first set, Mizzou's offense exploded for 15 kills on .355 hitting in the second set and 15 kills on .519 hitting in the match-clinching third set.
- Fuentes locked-in her second straight double-double after a strong overall performance against the Tigers. She leads Mizzou this season with a pair of double-doubles.
- Mizzou tallied 10.0 total blocks against Princeton, marking its fifth consecutive match with double-digit stops at the net.
- Riley Sents produced 10-plus digs for the fifth straight match in Mizzou's doubleheader opener.
- Munlyn and Deberg each had incredible individual sets versus Princeton. In set two, Munlyn posted a team-best six kills on .857 hitting, while Deberg recorded five kills on .500 hitting in set three to secure her seventh consecutive match with 10-plus kills.
- In Friday's doubleheader finale versus Towson, Mizzou used a strong offensive attack to build an early 1-0 advantage. Deberg paced the Tigers with four kills, while the defense produced four total blocks.
- Mizzou's defense remained stellar in the second set, producing five additional blocks and limiting Towson to only .023 hitting. Through two sets of play, Towson had 17 attack errors to its name and a .068 hitting percentage.
- With a dual block in the third set, Mizzou secured its sixth straight match with double-digit total blocks.
- Towson took its first set of the match in set three, courtesy of 16 kills in comparison to 12 from Mizzou.
- Mizzou possessed a late 22-18 edge in set four, but Towson answered en route to extra points needed to decide a winner. In all, eight ties and six lead changes led to a Towson triumph and Mizzou's second five-set match this year.
- In the fifth and final set, Mizzou got back to its bread and butter, forcing seven Towson attack errors while earning four final blocks. Mizzou's 17.0 total blocks marked a new 2018 season high.
Purchase 2018 Season Tickets
Season tickets are still available for the upcoming home campaign. Adult season tickets can be purchased for $40, while senior and youth passes are available for $30 each. Visit MUTigers.com/VBTix or call 1-800-CAT-PAWS to secure your season passes today.
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