The Missouri Tigers escaped the last game of the Mizzou Classic with a fifth-set nail-biting win over the Colgate Raiders, keeping new head coach Dawn Sullivan undefeated in her young tenure.
The first set established the theme for the rest of the match, with Colgate leading for most of the set and Missouri always lurking not too far behind. The Raiders’ offense, led by Sophie Thompson, Taylor Cigna, and Rachael Martinez, took advantage of a slow-starting Tiger defense at first, going up 14-9 into a timeout. After the timeout, Mizzou gained some ground with Didara Gedikoglu and Jordan Iliff moving the Tigers close, but in the end, some unforced errors and a consistent attack by Colgate gave the Raiders the set.
The second set swung the other way, as it was Mizzou who set the offensive tempo. Gedikoglu played like her hair was on fire, with six kills and a block assist. By the first timeout in the set, the Tigers had a 15-10 lead and all of the momentum. The Raiders tried their hardest to gain some ground, but the Tigers closed it out off the back of a service error to tie the match.
The third set was the most convincing either team looked, thanks to the unrelenting Colgate offense powered by thirteen kills and a .500 kill percentage, the highest of either team at any point in the match. Mizzou never strung together more than two points in a row against Colgate’s highest streak of six to end the set 25-15.
What followed may only be described as a legendary comeback, perhaps surpassing the Atlanta Falcons’ collapse in Super Bowl LI in terms of come-from-behind victories. Mizzou took the fourth set 25-22, with Janet deMarrais coming off of the bench and providing a spark alongside Gedikoglu, notching five kills over three sets. Colgate kept pace with Mizzou in the fifth set, but a costly service error by Taylor Cigna sealed the game for the Tigers.
Mizzou will look to keep the undefeated streak going in the Tiger Invitational this weekend, where they will face Northern Kentucky, South Dakota, and perennial powerhouse Louisville. Colgate will play at the Penn State Invitational this weekend, facing the Nittany Lions along with Western Kentucky and James Madison.