Outside hitter Paige Felder serves the ball on Friday at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou volleyball defeated Idaho 3-0 on Saturday, finishing the Mizzou Invitational 3-0.
Outside hitter Paige Felder serves the ball on Friday at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou volleyball defeated Idaho 3-0 on Saturday, finishing the Mizzou Invitational 3-0.
Mizzou volleyball finished up its first weekend of action with a sweep against Idaho. It's the first time since 2011 the Tigers have swept their first nine sets of the season.
The starting seven stayed the same for the most part, minus one change. Nina Mandovic, Eva Smith, Paige Felder, Ceylin Kuyan, Maca Lobaglio and Lauren Larkin got the start. Larkin started over Tia Phinezy, who was the starting middle blocker for the first two matches. Ainoah Cruz got the start at libero.
The Tigers started off choppy, going back and forth with the Vandals early on. After going down 7-6, Mizzou took Idaho along for an 11-6 run to go up by five points to force a Vandals timeout. The Tigers closed the set on an 8-6 run to take a 1-0 lead.
Early in the second set, Mizzou found itself down 6-3 after a 5-0 Idaho run. Dawn Sullivan then checked in Sierra Dudley and Grace O'Reilly to a lineup was mostly static through the first two matches. O'Reilly instantly made in impact with a block.
The two teams went back-and-forth, keeping it within one point of each other up to a 14-14 tie. Mizzou then found its footing with a 7-2 run. Idaho pulled closer, but Missouri ultimately took the set 25-21.
O'Reilly picked up four kills in the set with a clutch block to round out the set. She finished with seven kills and three blocks in the match.
Dudley finished the second set with 11 assists in her first real action of the season and finished with 23 assists and four digs in the match.
The Tigers jumped out to an 11-3 lead in the third set thanks to three-straight attacking errors from Idaho. The Tigers cruised to a 25-12 victory for the sweep.
As a team, Mizzou finished with 42 kills and 11 attack errors on 87 attempts for a .356 hit percentage. The Tigers held Idaho to a hitting percentage below .200, a mark they've hit in all three matches this season. Mizzou also tallied five service aces, seven blocks and 34 digs.
Larkin was Mizzou's top offensive weapon, racking up a team-high 10 kills in 16 attempts for .625 hit percentage. She tied her career-high in kills from Nov. 20 against Air Force while she was back at Utah State. Larkin also added three blocks to her stat sheet. While a new member of the team, her ability as a vocal leader helped the team on the court.
"I think it just helps us communicate better," Larkin said. "When there's efficient communication, everyone's more efficient."
Freshman middle blocker Eva Smith produced another solid showing, proving to be a force at the net. She had three blocks and four kills, showcasing the slide step. Smith mentioned its something that is practiced often to build a bond with Mandoivc.
"It's really nice when we have a good connection," Smith said.
Mizzou hosts No. 25 Oregon at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Hearnes Center as part of the SEC/Big Ten Challenge.
"Show up," Coach Dawn Sullivan said. when asked about how the fans will play a role in the matchup. "Our fans are huge for us and they have been. You know they call it the 'Heart of Hearnes'. You can feel it when you walk in."
The Tigers will be without their left tackle, who is entering his third season as a starter for MU. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz announced the news in a press conference Saturday.
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