Five different women made significant contributions to the win, with four recording at least seven kills and one setting a new career high in assists. The team faced their toughest matchup of the weekend on Sunday against Lindenwood University, winning 3-1 (25-17, 25-16, 22-25, 25-13).
The first set initially seemed to be going Lindenwood's way, as they jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead over the Tigers. However, that didn’t last long, as Mizzou responded with a four-point run, highlighted by senior Jordan Iliff's first of what would be a team-leading 13 kills.
Despite the Tigers' run, Lindenwood stayed hot, regaining the lead and holding it until the Tigers finally pulled ahead 14-13. Taking the lead was all Mizzou needed to build momentum, as they finished the first set by winning 13 of the last 17 points, ultimately taking it 25-17.
Mizzou started off working cohesively as a team. In the first set alone, Iliff recorded six kills, while grad transfer Mychael Vernon added four. Redshirt sophomore Marina Crownover also kicked off her career night with an impressive 11 assists in the set.
"I have full confidence in everybody on the front line and know that whenever I put the ball up, they're going to put it down for me," Crownover said. "We needed to take care of what we needed to, and once we started doing that, that's how we separated ourselves."
The second set followed a similar pattern, except this time the Tigers jumped out in front early and never relinquished the lead. The only time they trailed was briefly at 3-2. The set featured a balanced mix of service errors (four), attack errors (five), kills (13), and aces (four).
The third set is where the team began to slip. Although they stayed competitive and put up a fight, they dropped the set by just three points. It was the first and only set they lost all weekend. The Lions finished off the set winning six of the last eight points and putting themselves in a position for a comeback.
"We are a little bit up and down at times, and we’ve got to keep our foot on the gas," head coach Dawn Sullivan said after the game. "I think our team understands that and just how consistent we can be with it."
The team took that to heart and came out strong for the fourth set. After some early resistance from the Lions, Mizzou took off, going on a 10-point run and building a commanding lead, ultiamtely finishing the match in the fourth set.
"We are a really strong team when it comes to our energy," graduate Colleen Finney said after the game. "As long as we keep having fun and generating a lot of energy within ourselves, we're in a better position."
The team heads to Nashville for the Lipscomb Tournament, where they will kick things off against Lipscomb University on Thursday at 6 p.m.