Mizzou Volleyball ends homestand with perfect record after win over Mississippi State

On Sunday, the Missouri Tigers (13-5, 4-2 SEC) volleyball team impressed the home crowd, defeating Mississippi State 3-1 (27-25, 25-12, 29-31, 25-18) to complete a perfect homestand.

Despite the high scores in each set, this was one of the Tigers' better defensive games, with junior Maya Sands matching a career high in digs (30) and three other players also recording more than 10 digs.

"I'm really proud we were able to step up in that area and dig those balls to allow us to transition," head coach Dawn Sullivan said. "I think when our defense is flowing, we have a lot of success, so we've been focusing a lot on that."

The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead in the first set, but the Tigers didn’t go down easily. This continued until later in the set when the Tigers trailed 15-10. A service error from the Bulldogs sparked a 7-1 scoring run for the Tigers, which included four kills from graduate transfer Mychael Vernon, giving the Tigers their first lead of the set.

"We were in a nice flow," redshirt sophomore Marina Crownover said. "I think that really helped us gain momentum, and plays were just going our way."

The teams went back and forth until the Bulldogs reached set point. Up 24-22, the Tigers stormed back to tie it, then won the next two points to take the first set 27-25.

With momentum on their side, the Tigers carried that into the second set, quickly jumping to a 15-2 lead. They gave up a few points before the end of the set but held strong, winning 25-12. Ten points for the Tigers in the set came off either service or attacking errors from the Bulldogs.

Senior Jordan Iliff ended the second set with two service aces and finished the match with three, giving her 51 on the year and placing her in the top three in the country.

"Everything seemed to be clicking in the second set," Sands said. "We needed to start the set well, and once we do that, we know we have the rest taken care of."

Despite the tough loss in the previous set, Mississippi State came out determined in the third. After a back-and-forth start, the Bulldogs went on an 8-1 run to take a 17-11 lead.

Down 24-20, the Tigers scored five unanswered points to force a win-by-two situation. Neither team could pull ahead by two, going back and forth, until the Bulldogs, down 29-28, scored three straight points to win the set and cut the Tigers' lead to 2-1.

In the fourth set, the Tigers found themselves trailing only once. After falling behind 4-3, the Tigers went on a 7-2 run to take a 10-6 lead. After the Bulldogs responded with two points, the Tigers answered with five straight, extending their lead to seven and effectively putting the set out of reach.

Mississippi State didn’t go down without a fight, matching the Tigers point for point for the rest of the set, but they couldn’t mount a comeback. A 6-3 run by the Tigers closed out the fourth set, with Vernon leading the way, scoring four of the team’s last six points on kills to win the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.

"I think we are really tough," Sullivan said. "We were able to get them out of system and allow our block and defense to do their work."

Crownover anchored the team, leading with 55 assists and adding 14 digs, along with a season-high two kills and two blocks.

"The fans, the fans, the fans," Crownover said when asked what they attribute to their perfect 4-0 homestand. "Every time they get really loud, we feed off that energy. When you’re away, it’s really hard to get that momentum on your side, but here, it’s effortless."

The Tigers are back on the road for their next three games, starting against the Arkansas Razorbacks at 7 p.m. on Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where they will play for sole possession of third place in the SEC.