Tigers drop to 0-1 in SEC in ranked loss
Mizzou continues to search for a staple win on the season, losing its latest attempt to No. 13 Texas A&M 20-25, 17-25, 26-24, 8-25.
The Mizzou offense struggled to keep up, hitting .049 to the Aggies’ .256. The Tigers finished the match with 31 attacking errors in four sets, struggling to find space inside the lines.
Freshman setter Nina Mandovic got the start today, finishing the day with 16 assists and nine digs in a near double-double performance. Outside hitter Caylen Alexander did record a double-double, leading the team in kills with 13 and adding 10 digs. Maya Sands had another defensive masterclass with 18 digs in the match.
Here’s what happened in Mizzou’s first SEC match of the season:
Texas A&M controlled the first set start to finish, winning 25-20 to take a 1-0 lead. The Aggies started on a 5-0 run and never conceded the lead. At one point the home team held a 22-14 advantage. The Tigers pushed it closer down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough. The Mizzou offense was kept in check with only eight kills and a .026 hitting percentage. The offense looked disjointed, unable to find strong swings and gave Texas A&M some easy chances. Middle blocker Regan Haith had a strong run early in the set, contributing on four straight blocking points in a moment of pure euphoria.
The Aggies returned with an even stronger second set, winning 25-17. It felt like a case of deja vu, where Mizzou fell behind 5-1 early in the set. Mizzou put themselves within striking distance when they trailed 13-10, but six straight Aggie points proved to be too much. The Tigers struggled with serve receive, as Texas A&M racked up three aces in the set. Mizzou’s offense looked better, but continued to struggle with five attacking errors. Transfers Alexander and Tyrah Ariail were the driving offensive force with three kills each.
Mizzou responded with a 26-24 set win to avoid the sweep. The Tigers avoided the early deficit as the two teams traded points all set. The third set included 15 ties and six lead changes as these ranked teams went back and forth. With the teams tied at 24, the Tigers finally separated thanks to a kill from Ariail and an Aggie attacking error. Mizzou had a much stronger offensive performance with 14 kills and only two errors in this third set. A large part of that offense was driven by Alexander, who led the way with five kills.
The fourth set was nothing short of a disaster for Mizzou, falling short 25-8. Offensively it was the worst set for the tigers with six kills to five attack errors. The Aggies block finally unleashed with five in the final set alone. Several Tigers did the best they could, but it just wasn’t enough against this high-level Aggie team.
Mizzou continues to look for its right-side hitter, as no one has been able to separate themselves from the pack. Freshman Maca Lobaglio got the start, finishing with four kills on a .105 hitting percentage. Kimani Johnson, Grace O’Reilly and Claire Morrissey all saw action but didn’t have a memorable performance.
Mizzou looks avoid an 0-2 start in conference play when they match up with No. 2 Texas on Friday at 9 p.m. in Austin. The game will be available to watch on SECN+ on the ESPN app.
Category: General Sports
