COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri Volleyball hit the road this past weekend, taking on Arkansas and Oklahoma in games that would restructure the top of the Southeastern Conference. The daunting task didn’t faze the Tigers though, and after going 2-0 over the weekend, they now sit in the driver’s seat heading into the second half of conference play.
The two games played out very differently and showed Missouri’s ability to adapt depending on the game situation.
Missouri: 3 | Arkansas: 1
Heading into their matchup, Arkansas and Missouri were ranked third and fourth in the conference, and all eyes were on the Tigers to see if they could get the credible win that had thus far eluded them during the season.
They would do just that, dominating both on the court and the stat sheet, primarily from the play of grad transfer Mychael Vernon, who tallied a career-best 37 kills. That set a new Missouri single-match kill record, breaking Paola Ampudia’s 35 kills that had stood since Oct. 24, 2009.
Missouri started slowly in the first set, and though they kept it close with a late push, the Razorbacks won 25-21 due to their duo of Olivia Ruy and Aniya Madkin.
The second set is where Missouri, led by Vernon, would start pouring it on. At multiple points, the New York native would lead the Tigers on scoring runs, giving them such a lead that Arkansas could not respond.
When the Razorbacks tried to make comebacks, the stout defense of Missouri stopped any hope of such. As the Tigers piled up 93 digs on the night,, highlighted by the usual standouts Maya Sands and Marina Crownover, Arkansas’ offense found it difficult to break through.
After dropping the first set, Missouri would go on to win the next three, finishing the job with a dominant 25-15 fourth set.
Missouri: 3 | Oklahoma: 2
Missouri would have no time to rest on their laurels, as another test would come two nights later. Oklahoma’s surprising performance saw the Tigers have to battle in the trenches, and the reason for their victory was not one player, but multiple.
The Tigers would drop the first set 25-19, but where in previous matchups the early rallies were hotly contested, it seemed as if Missouri had no real answer for the Sooners’ style of play. At a much slower tempo than other opponents, Oklahoma would often catch Missouri off guard, with free ball exchanges that usually ended in kills. Couple that with an error-prone offensive attack from the Tigers, and the Sooners quickly looked more formidable than initially expected.
Despite this, Missouri would go on to win the second and third sets rather convincingly, but just when they kicked into another gear, Oklahoma responded by stealing the fourth set 26-24, thanks in large part to the play of junior Alexis Shelton.
When it mattered most, Missouri came alive. In the fifth set, Janet deMarrias would be the anchor the Tigers needed, keeping them in it with crucial kills when at times they were down by as many as four points. Add to that the usual performances from Vernon and Jordan Iliff, the Tigers overcame multiple scares to win the fifth 19-17.
Takeaways
Dawn Sullivan’s squad has shown real promise throughout this season, but in these last two games, they have shown the ability to dominate when having a lead and to adapt when playing from behind.
After this stretch of play, Missouri sits at 15-5 and 6-2 in SEC play, tied for second with Kentucky. Tomorrow, on Friday, Nov. 1, they’ll get their toughest matchup yet, as they take on No. 9 Texas in Austin. If this last weekend is anything to go by, volleyball fans are in for a good one.