For the first time since Sept. 3, Missouri volleyball had won the first two sets of a match. History was on their side: Missouri had won their last seven matches where they led 2-0 dating back to 2020. In a season where slow starts have defined the Tigers, this was a refreshing change for Joshua Taylor’s crew. Their first SEC victory of 2022 looked closer and closer to becoming a reality.
(Lee Corso voice) Not so fast, my friend.
Auburn completely flipped the script on Missouri after the second set, taking the final three sets by a combined margin of 19 points to improve their record to 17-1. The shocking loss drops Missouri to 7-9 on the season and 0-6 in conference play.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle. Neither squad led by more than two points until late, when Missouri went on an 8-0 run to force a set point up 24-18. Despite the first set score reading a close 25-21, Missouri looked like the far more dominant team in the opening frame.
The second set was controlled primarily by Missouri, as the home Tigers led wire-to-wire. Anna Dixon and Kaylee Cox turned up the heat in the second set, combining for 11 kills en route to another 25-21 victory for Missouri.
The third set saw Auburn look a lot closer to a squad that had won 16 of their first 17 matchups to start the season. After self-inflicted errors hamstrung the away Tigers all afternoon, Auburn cleaned up their act and played their most potent set of the afternoon to keep the game alive.
The fourth set saw momentum shift even more towards Auburn. The away Tigers went on two separate 4-0 runs to start the set and led by as much as 11. It was the home Tigers who looked like the sloppier team, as Auburn scored seven points off of Missouri errors.
The fifth set was a continuation of the third and fourth sets, although Missouri did battle back from a 10-6 deficit to cut the Auburn lead to two. However, the Tigers from down south pulled away, as a Madison Scheer kill sealed the victory for Auburn.
Despite a disappointing afternoon for Missouri, there were noticeable bright spots. The home Tigers registered 11 blocks against Auburn, their most in an SEC contest this season. Dixon’s 19 kills tied for her season-best. This was also only the fifth time Auburn has been pushed to five sets all season.
However, in a season filled with crushing losses, this one might sting the most. Missouri had one-loss Auburn on the ropes with all of the momentum on their side. It was then that Missouri began getting in their own way, just like Auburn had to start the afternoon. Although there’s a lot of season left, the Tigers need to figure out a way to string together complete games against SEC opponents before last season’s nightmare becomes this season’s reality.
Missouri will face Auburn again as part of a two-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m.