Volleyball Falls in SEC/Big Ten Challenge to No. 25 OregonVolleyball Falls in SEC/Big Ten Challenge to No. 25 Oregon
Volleyball

Volleyball Falls in SEC/Big Ten Challenge to No. 25 Oregon

Box Score

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri volleyball fell to No. 25 Oregon 3-1 in the SEC/Big TenChallenge on Tuesday night in Hearnes Center.

Junior Laurin Larkin and company outhit the Ducks .565 to .185 in the first set before dropping the next three sets in succession for their first loss of the season. 

KEY PLAYERS

  • Freshman Eva Smith recorded the highest hitting percentage (.600) among the team, recording six kills on 10 total attack attempts. 
  • Senior Ainoah Cruz tallied 18 digs while Junior Nina Mandovic recorded 9. Cruz also recorded two assists and one service ace. 
  • With 14 kills tonight, Larkin has 10+ kills in back-to-back games, both with over a .500 hitting percentage.
  • Freshman Ceylin Kuyan and sophomore Maca Lobaglio joined Larkin in securing double-digit kills for the Black and Gold, both notching 10.
  • Junior Nina Mandovic tallied a season-high 31 assists.

FIRST SET (25-16, Mizzou leads 1-0)

The Tigers and the Ducks were neck-and-neck in the opening frame, as Mizzou took an early 7-6 advantage with a kill by Larkin and an ace by Cruz. 

The teams continued to trade points at the beginning of the first set before Mizzou went on an effective 5-0 run, with back-to-back aces by Junior Nina Mandovic forcing the Ducks to take their first timeout.

Mizzou continued to hold its lead throughout the middle frame, taking a 24-15 lead over the Ducks with back-to-back blocks. After a long rally on match point, the Tigers took the set with a kill by Mandovic, 25-15.

SECOND SET (16-25, Tied at 1-1) 

Early on, the teams traded points starting at 5-5. However, Oregon was first to break out, recording a 6-0 run to go up 11-6 on Missouri, forcing the Tigers to take their first timeout of the match.  

Out of the break, Mizzou continued to rally back, but was not able to stop the momentum of the Ducks. Oregon would ultimately wrap up the set with a 25-16 victory, tying the match at 1-1. 

THIRD SET (20-25, Oregon Leads 2-1) 

The third set began with the Ducks taking an early 5-2 lead; Mizzou would respond with a 4-0 run, including a notable block kill by Smith and Mandovic. The Tigers and Ducks continued to go point-for-point, with Oregon pulling slightly ahead with a 15-13 lead going into the media timeout. 

Following the break, the Tigers would gain momentum, with two straight kills by Kuyan tying the set at 15-15. After continuing to trade points, the Ducks took the lead at 20-18 and went on a run to reach set point. 

In the end, Mizzou would go on a two-point run to force a timeout by Oregon, but Oregon ultimately pulled through to wrap up the set at 25-20. 

FOURTH SET (19-25, Oregon wins 3-1)

The beginning of the fourth set matched the third with Oregon taking the early lead. The Tigers would then break away on a 3-0 run to tie up the game 6-6, with a noteworthy run by Smith, recording back-to-back kills and a solo block.

Going into the media timeout, the teams were neck and neck, with Oregon holding a slight 15-13 advantage. After continued back-and-forth play, the Tigers continued to trail. Despite defensive efforts by Cruz, the Tigers fell to the Ducks, 25-19, to finish the match 3-1.   

MATCH NOTES

  • Dawn Sullivan is now 60-34 as the Tigers head coach, 169-72 overall.
  • The Tigers are now 3-1 to start the season, recording their first loss of the year. 
  • Missouri is 0-3 all-time against Oregon. 
  • With 18 digs tonight, Cruz has recorded 1,444 career digs and is 56 digs away from the 1,500 mark.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS