1st2nd3rdMissouri 142216Arkansas 252525
The Missouri Tigers (8-16) fell in three straight sets to the No. 25 Arkansas Razorbacks (16-8).
Missouri was looking for their first SEC win since their victory against the Auburn Tigers on Oct. 16, but were unable to even win a set.
Missouri came into this game ranked dead last in the SEC. The Razorbacks were in eighth place, but still ranked No. 25 nationally due to their 15-8 overall record.
The Razorbacks have struggled on the road, going 2-5 when not at home. However, this was not an issue for them in Columbia. The crowd at the Hearnes Center seemed to have no effect on Arkansas, who looked calm and collected throughout the match.
The Tiger’s got out to yet another slow start in the first set, dropping it 25-14. The Tiger’s had issues hitting the ball in bounds, which hindered them. Trista Stasser and Kaylee Cox both had two blocks in the first set, but those alone were unable to keep the Tiger’s close.
Missouri came out strong in the second set, but after being all tied up at 12-12, allowed Arkansas to pull away to an 18-12 lead. The Tigers would not go away easily, though, and rallied for seven straight points to bring the set to 22-19. With the Tiger’s barely behind at 24-22, Jasmine Dulan served the ball into the net, giving the Razorbacks the set.
Missouri looked to avoid getting swept in the third set, but the Razorbacks had other ideas. The set once again started off close, but Arkansas used their strong front line to block Missouri balls and win the third set 25-16 with ease .
Arkansas was able to sweep so easily in large part to the efforts of Graduate middle Tatum Shipes, who had six blocks, and Jill Gillen, who had nine kills in her return from injury.
This win gave their coach Jason Watson his 100th win at Arkansas. Watson recently received a contract extension to keep him in Fayetteville until at least through 2025.
Missouri’s outside hitter Kaylee Cox led the team in kills with nine, but that was much less than her usual output. Outside hitter Anna Dixon only had four kills, a low number for her as well.
It seems fair to wonder whether Missouri coach Joshua Taylor is the man for the job after yet another SEC loss. The Tigers fell to to 8-16 overall and 1-13 in conference play. Taylor continues to make frequent and questionable substitutions throughout games.
The Tigers will stay at home this weekend to host Texas A&M for a two game series.