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Mizzou volleyball takes down Ole Miss in dramatic five set comeback

The girls stay hot and keep the train rolling in five set win

By Seth Schwartzberg

Missouri Tigers setter Marina Crownover (22), a former Texas Longhorn, reacts with her teammates, including middle blocker Morgan Isenberg (9) after scoring a point during the Longhorns' match-up with the Missouri Tigers at the Gregory Gym in Austin, Nov. 1, 2024.
Missouri Tigers setter Marina Crownover (22), a former Texas Longhorn, reacts with her teammates, including middle blocker Morgan Isenberg (9) after scoring a point during the Longhorns' match-up with the Missouri Tigers at the Gregory Gym in Austin, Nov. 1, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Mizzou volleyball bounced back from its loss to Florida with a hard-fought victory over Ole Miss in five sets (25-19, 21-25, 16-25, 25-16, 15-11) in Oxford.

The Tigers had struggled to win in Oxford, going three seasons without a victory there. That trend nearly continued, but the Tigers fought back to secure the win and break the streak.

The first set was tight, with Mizzou going up by two early after back-to-back kills from Jordan Iliff. Ole Miss responded with a 5-1 run to lead 9-7, and the teams traded points until Ole Miss went up 18-15. After a timeout by coach Dawn Sullivan, Mizzou came out strong, starting a 10-1 run sparked by a kill from Colleen Finney and back-to-back aces from Kiaraliz Perez Catala, finishing with a kill from Mychael Vernon to take the set 25-19.

Set two began with both teams trading points until a 6-0 run from Ole Miss gave them the first lead of the set. Mizzou fought back but couldn’t overcome the deficit, losing the set 25-21. Of the nine points they scored before the set ended, five came from Rebel errors.

After taking the second set, it seemed the game had shifted in favor of the Rebels. They gained an early lead with a 3-0 run, then extended it with a 7-1 run, putting Mizzou down 15-8. The Tigers fought back, but another 6-0 run from Ole Miss pushed the lead to 24-13, putting the set out of reach. Mizzou scored three more points off two kills and a Rebel error, but a final kill closed the set at 25-16, putting Ole Miss one set away from victory.

After dropping the last two sets, Sullivan made a change, bringing in sophomore Sierra Dudley at setter for the first time since SEMO, and it paid off. Mizzou quickly jumped to a 6-2 lead, with two of those points coming from Dudley’s sets. The teams traded points, but a 5-0 run by Mizzou, including four points from Rebel errors, pushed the Tigers ahead 22-14. Ole Miss managed to score two more, but a service error and an ace from Iliff sealed the set for Mizzou, sending the match to a winner-take-all fifth set.

From the start of the fifth set, Mizzou took control, jumping ahead 5-1 thanks to four Ole Miss errors and a Vernon kill. The Rebels tied it at five, but Mizzou responded with a 4-1 run to go up 9-6. Ole Miss closed the gap to one, but Mizzou finished strong with kills from Finney and Vernon, taking the set 15-11 and the match 3-2.

This was a defensive masterpiece for the Tigers, with six players recording at least 10 kills. Junior Maya Sands led the way with 23 kills and over 10 team blocks.

This win puts the Tigers in fourth place in the SEC, behind #12 Kentucky, #14 Texas, and #20 Florida. Mizzou will have one more matchup on Sunday against Mississippi State before hosting Kentucky in what could be their biggest matchup of the year.

The match against Mississippi State will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Starkville and will be available to watch on SEC+.

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