COLUMBIA, Mo. – Under the lights of the Hearnes Center, the Missouri Tigers continued its fight to stay alive in the SEC, winning its fifth-straight match against a scrappy South Carolina squad. 

Led by stellar play from outside hitter Caylen Alexander, the Tigers navigated early trouble in the first and second sets to pull away late with a 3–1 victory. 

First Set

Recognized for its slow starts in opening matches, Missouri allowed South Carolina to strike first courtesy of middle blocker Ava Leahy, but was able to hang in thanks to errors that would invade the Gamecock’s offense all night.

Trading the lead throughout the first set, Missouri kept its hope alive through an offensive committee, with Regan Haith, Tyrah Ariai, Janet DeMarrais, and Maca Lobaglio all getting involved. However, it was Alexander who punctuated the set, delivering  three-straight kills for the Tigers 22, 23 and 24 points enroute to the 25–23 opening set win.

Second Set

To begin the second set, it was Missouri who went on a 5-0 run, pushing the tally to 6-3. Yet for South Carolina, a combination of offensive runs and service errors by the Tigers allowed the Gamecocks to set the tone.

Still down to the wire though, both teams remained in the driver’s seat as the second set wound down. Tied at 24–24, it was the Gamecocks that managed to steal it, after libero Elizabeth McElveen caught Alexander looking for the service error. Tying up the match thanks to the 26–24 set win, South Carolina reminded the Tigers why the SEC is the best conference in college volleyball.

Third Set

All square to start the third set, Gamecock’s middle blocker Emily Beeker kept South Carolina rolling with back-to-back blocks. Yet it was Alexander who had something to show when it was all said and done. 

Scoring six kills in the set, Alexander helped Missouri  to build the lead early, putting them in position to stay in control the rest of the way. Winning the third set 25-19, Missouri rekindled its home crowd’s fire as the match headed to the fourth set.

Fourth Set

Unwilling to give up on its previous success, South Carolina kept pace with the Tigers throughout the set. Alexander again refused to let Missouri surrender the set to the Gamecocks.

Adding another eight kills to her tally, Alexander worked in tandem with the always reliable Marina Crownover, who led the team in assists with a staggering 45 on the night. Insulated by good work from outside hitter Paige Felder early, Alexander and Crownover closed the show with a commanding kill, to finish the set 25–23. 

Final Thoughts

It may not be as pretty as the previous two seasons, but once again Dawn Sullivan’s team has managed to navigate early trouble in SEC play and have begun to win with identity once again. 

Scoring a season high 24 kills, Caylen Alexander seems to have finally found her footing as the Tiger’s main offensive weapon on the outside. What still remains to be seen though are the ancillary pieces in the senior pair of Haith and DeMarrais. Both players had little to offer on the box score when it was all said and done, and with time running out, fans and pundits alike are still looking for the two leaders to find their consistency as valuable pieces to the Tiger’s offense.

Still, Missouri has time to solve its remaining woes. With only two ranked foes left to play on its conference schedule (at No. 16 Tennessee and home against No. 3 Kentucky), Missouri will have a chance to iron out its weaknesses and build its resume heading into the first iteration of the revitalized SEC tournament.

Missouri returns to action Sunday, Oct. 26, against Georgia at home.