Tigers defeat Razorbacks 3-0 propelled by a convincing first set
The pork was pulled inside the Hearnes Center on Friday night, as Mizzou volleyball swept Arkansas 25-11, 25-20, 25-17.
The Tigers were superior hitters throughout the match, with 45 kills and only nine errors while hitting .371. By contrast, Arkansas finished with 34 kills and 19 attacking errors at .138 hitting percentage.
Mizzou volleyball gave up the first point of set number one. Afterwards they would not trail, going on an 8-0 run that propelled the Tigers to a 25-11 set win. The Mizzou offense was clicking on all cylinders with 12 kills and only one error with a .407 hitting percentage. In addition the Tigers racked up six blocks, winning the battle at the net early.
“It was just incredibly fun. That’s what I’ll tell you,” head coach Dawn Sullivan said. “They were dialed in, they were locked in, and they were on a mission. I think tonight was to show Mizzou fans just what we’re about. And I thought they did incredibly well.”
Middle blocker Tyrah Ariail recognized the best of each advantages, finishing the first set with three blocks and three kills. In addition to Tyrah, both Caylen Alexander and Janet deMarrais ended the first set with three kills to lead the offense.
The second set was much more balanced, but the Tigers still emerged victorious 25-20. After going back-and-forth all set, a 7-4 run coming out of the media timeout opened a four-point lead for Mizzou; directly leading to the set victory. This set was almost evenly matched, but narrow Tiger advantages in kills (17-14) and blocks (3-1) proved to be the difference. Alexander was the best player on the court for either team, finishing the set with seven kills and a solo block. While the first set was all about team effort, Caylen was a one-woman wrecking crew this time around.
Mizzou won the third set 25-17 to complete the sweep. The third set felt practically identical to the second; Arkansas snags an early lead before Mizzou responds before putting it away late. After an early 5-1 Arkansas lead, the Tigers kicked it into high gear with an 11-2 run capped off by an Arial ace. Mizzou kept the Razorbacks at an arm’s length away the remainder of the set, never letting Arkansas get within three. Caylen did her thing with six more kills in the set, including the match-winning kill.
Alexander finished the match with 16 kills and only two errors, hitting .500 for the whole match. This marked the second consecutive match where Caylen finished with 15-plus kills while hitting over .350.
“I definitely did realize that I was kind of slacking a bit in my job and just not performing as I used to and how I want to,” Alexander said. “I’ve just talked a lot with the team and with Dawn [Sullivan], and just like, figuring out, like, when I can get extra reps whenever, and just like, just knowing that I don’t have to be perfect and things like that. So that’s really helped my game. And I think, like, for the past three games, I’ve really just felt like I’ve been having fun this whole time.
In addition to Alexander, deMarrais was the other Tiger in double-digit kills with 11. Janet was the only Tiger who hit below .300 at .219 with four errors in the match. Ariail led a renassaince in the blocking attack with seven (7!) blocks. As a whole Mizzou out blocked Arkansas 14-1.
“I think our serve did a really good job getting them out of system,” Sullivan said. “We have some really incredible middles. You see that offensively, but on the flip side of it, defensively, they read the game really well.”
Maya Sands had another high-end performance with 17 digs and eight assists. Marina Crownover finished in similar form with 32 assists and five digs. The entire Tiger defense shined with 46 digs, including seven from Alexander.
“Whoever I’m next to pushes me to be more aggressive on defense,” Alexander said. “If Maya can get it up, then I should be able to get it up…the girl next to me pushes me to want to dig the ball and keep us in system.”
The Tigers improved to 9-5 on the year and 1-2 in SEC play. Mizzou looks to reach .500 in conference when they take on Oklahoma at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Hearnes Center.
Category: General Sports
