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Volleyball Takes Down No. 6 Tennessee, Beats Highest-Ranked Opponent Since 2016Volleyball Takes Down No. 6 Tennessee, Beats Highest-Ranked Opponent Since 2016
Volleyball

Volleyball Takes Down No. 6 Tennessee, Beats Highest-Ranked Opponent Since 2016

Box Score

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou volleyball defeated No. 6 Tennessee in a five-set thriller on Sunday afternoon at Hearnes Center. The win improved the Tigers to 14-9 and 7-4 in Southeastern Conference play. The victory was the first time the Tigers have defeated a team ranked No. 6 or higher since they beat No. 5 Florida on November 20, 2016.

KEY PLAYERS

  • Fifth year Kimani Johnson (Southfield, Mich.) and senior Grace O’Reilly (Springfield, Mo.) headlined the offense with 16 kills each. It marks the sixth double-digit kill game for both of them. 
  • Junior Lauren Larkin (St. George, Utah) served three aces, her highest total this season. The middle also notched eight kills.
  • Junior Nina Mandovic (Subotica, Serbia) recorded a double-double with 25 assists and 11 digs, marking her sixth of the season.
  • Senior Libero Ainoah Cruz (Arecibo, Puerto Rico) held up the defense with 29 digs. 

SET ONE (Tennessee wins 25-21, Tennessee leads 1-0)

Missouri opened the set with kills from Johnson and sophomore Paige Felder (Parowan, Utah) to give the Tigers momentum. Tennessee followed with a pair of kills to keep MU in distance (6-3). The Black & Gold continued to stretch their lead with an ace from Felder and several errors produced by the Lady Volunteers to force a timeout (10-4). Tennessee went on a three point run to tighten the gap, but the Tigers remained in the lead at the media break (15-13). 

A handful of kills by Tennessee gave them a slight edge to force a Mizzou timeout (19-18). Johnson and O’Reilly each recorded a kill during the remainder of the frame, but the Lady Vols took the opening set 25-21. 

SET TWO (Missouri wins 25-21, tied 1-1)

The second set opened with Johnson hammering four kills within the first six points (4-2). The score remained close, with Eva Smith (Durham, N.C.) and Lydia Stahley (Indianapolis, Ind.) both producing kills for the Tigers (9-8). Both teams exchanged kills and Tennessee had a three point run to give them a 15-12 lead going into the media timeout.

Smith then tallied back-to-back kills, followed by another from O’Reilly. A service error from Tennessee and a kill by Johnson tied the match forcing the Lady Vols to use a timeout (17-17). 

The teams traded kills, but MU came out with an advantage after back-to-back kills from Larkin and Johnson (20-19). Following a pair of errors from Tennessee they called a timeout to slow the Tigers down, however, Mizzou clinched the set with a solo block from Smith (25-21).

SET THREE (Tennessee wins 26-24, Tennessee leads 2-1)

Tennessee started out of the gate in set three with a five point run. Freshman Ceylin Kuyan (Istanbul, Turkey) ended the Lady Volunteers run (5-1) with a kill. The Tigers began to erase the Tennessee lead with an ace from Larkin and a kill from Smith. O’Reilly fueled the offense, recording four kills to give MU an edge (11-9). The teams continued to exchange the lead, with Johnson and Kuyan also notching kills. Larkin served her second ace of the game to give the Black & Gold a one-point advantage heading into the media timeout (15-14).

Tennessee came out of the timeout and went on a three-point run to gain an edge (17-15). The teams continued to keep the score tight, exchanging kills. A kill by Kuyan to tie the score at 23 forced a Lady Vol timeout, but Tennessee responded with a block and two kills to claim the set 26-24. 

SET FOUR (Missouri wins 27-25, tied 2-2)

Mizzou started the set with a kill from Johnson. Tennessee responded with a block and continued to have a one point lead against the Tigers. MU answered with a four-point run, including three blocks from Smith. The Lady Volunteers produced a kill ending the scoring run and then proceeded to go on a 3-0 run to cut the deficit (7-7). 

Cruz and Mandovic each recorded an ace to give the Tigers momentum. The lead continued to switch, but Mizzou was up by two at the media timeout (15-13). 

O’Reilly and Larkin hammered kills to begin the back half of the set. Larkin then recorded a huge solo block to force a Tennessee timeout, as Mizzou had a one point advantage (21-20). Stahlman added a kill to make it 23-22, followed by a Felder kill, making it set point (24-22). A two-point run by Tennessee tied the game at 24, but Missouri responded with another kill from Felder and an ace from Larkin. The Tigers claimed the set with a block from junior Tia Phinezy (Fort Wayne, Ind.), winning 27-25.

SET FIVE (Missouri wins 15-9, Missouri wins 3-2)

Phinezy kept the momentum alive to start the fifth, notching a kill to gain an early 2-1 lead. Mizzou then went on a run consisting of kills from O’Reilly and Felder. Johnson added two kills and two blocks to keep the Tigers in the lead and force a Lady Vol timeout (8-5). 

The Black & Gold remained strong for the rest of the contest, staying error-free and building the lead (12-7). Kills from Stahley and O’Reilly led Mizzou to match point (14-9). O’Reilly sealed the match with a kill to give Missouri the top-ten victory, 15-9.

GAME NOTES

  • With the victory, Mizzou is now 14-9 on the season and 7-4 in conference play
  • The Tigers improve to 14-10 against Tennessee all-time
  • Head coach Dawn Sullivan is now 180-80 all-time and 71-42 at MU. 
  • The match marks Mizzou’s fifth five-set contest of the season. The Tigers are now 2-3 when going to five.

NEXT UP

Mizzou stays at home and hosts the Texas Longhorns on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at Hearnes Center. The game will be televised on SEC Network+.

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