This week in Mizzou Athletics
October 29, 2019 | Sports,
By Olivia Evans
As SEC play ramps up for most in-season teams, the Tigers find themselves struggling through adversity both on and off the field. Several teams took some hard losses this week, but a couple of teams bested their opponents to gain substantial victories. This week several Tiger squads will roll out and finish off their regular season whilst others continue to dive deep into SEC play and others are just beginning their season. Here’s what’s happening this week in Mizzou Athletics.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country:
This week the Tigers head to Lexington, KY to race at the SEC Championships. After a rocky finish for the men in Wisconsin, they hope to bounce back and enter postseason strong. As for the women, “they have yet to put together a full race,” said coach Brett Halter. This race in Lexington could be the first complete race for the women. Both teams are fairly young and show great potential going forward.
Football:
This week the Tigers were on the road again. They faced the Wildcats of Kentucky in which they lost 29-7 at a stormy Kroger Field. Early in the first half, starting QB Kelly Bryant pulled up with a hamstring injury forcing the Tigers to roll with backup QB Taylor Powell. The Tigers were unable to find the endzone until the third quarter, and they wouldn’t find another way to score for the rest of the game. Kentucky QB Lynn Bowden could not be stopped by the Tiger defense. The Missouri defense struggled on both pass coverage as well as run coverage. Furthermore, the Tigers were unable to find any sort of connection on the offensive side.
This loss marks the third loss of the season for Mizzou, all of which have occurred on road games to teams who were all ranked lower than Mizzou. This trend has led to animosity on social media from Mizzou fans calling for the removal of Head Coach Barry Odom. Despite this adversity, the Tigers have been very vocal in their support of their coaches.
Mizzou will have some time to nurse injuries and recoup before traveling to Athens, GA to play the Bulldogs on Nov. 9.
Men’s and Women’s Golf:
The Men’s team travels to Oahu, Hawaii to compete in the Hoakalei CC Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 28-30. They are set to tee off at 1 p.m. and will play a full 18 holes all three days of the tournament. This tournament will conclude the fall season for Mizzou.
The Women’s team is coming off a 15th out of 15th finish at the Jim West Challenge in Texas last week. This tournament did not play out how the Tigers had anticipated, but they have one more scramble before the conclusion of their fall season. Mizzou will head to Cabo, Mexico on Friday to play in the Battle of the Beach Tournament Nov 1-3.
Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving:
This upcoming weekend the Tigers travel to Springfield, MO to take on Missouri State in a dual on Saturday, Nov. 2. Currently, Mizzou swim and dive is on pace to have their best season in program history.
Wrestling:
Tiger Style heads to Blacksburg, VA to battle with Virginia Tech on Nov. 2. This match will serve as the first official match for the Tigers this season. This season looks to be promising for the Tigers behind returning All-American Brock Mauller (149lbs) and 2019 MAC Wrestler of the Year Jaydin Eierman (141lbs).
Women’s Basketball:
This week the Tigers faced off with Truman State at home, they won 94-55. The Tigers looked very smooth in transition and appeared to have good communication. Mizzou was able to score both outside the arc and inside the paint with ease against Truman. The leading scorers were the dynamic freshman duo of Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank with 25 points and 22 points respectively. Every player from Mizzou who attempted a shot scored at least once, 10 players were able to convert points for the Tigers. Before the start of the regular season, the Tigers will host one more exhibition game against Fontbonne on Tuesday, Oct 29.
Men’s Basketball:
The Tigers will take the court for the first time this season in a home exhibition game against Central Missouri on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. Earlier this past week the Mizzou vs. KU rivalry was renewed for six years, starting with the first matchup in the 2020-2021 season. The Tigers also learned that transfer Axel Okongo will have two seasons of eligibility rather than just one.
Soccer:
On Thursday the Tigers fell 2-1 to Alabama at home. This marks two consecutive SEC losses for Mizzou. Lately, the Tigers have struggled through adversity, especially in the position of goalkeeper. Both the first and second string goalkeeper will be out the rest of the season due to non-soccer related medical diagnoses. This left the Tigers with just one keeper, luckily they were able to borrow softball player Megan Moll to be the backup keeper for the remainder of the season. On Sunday, the Tigers faced off in College Station against the Texas A&M Aggies, losing 5-3. The Tigers will conclude their regular season at home on Halloween against Mississippi State, this game will also serve as senior night for the Tigers. Kickoff will begin at 7:15 p.m.
Tennis:
After a poor showing in the ITA Central Regional Tournament Mizzou returned home. The Tigers lost in the first round of all their matches, thus ending their chance to win regionals. This Friday the Tigers fly down to Miami, FL to compete in the FIU Fall Invite. This match serves as their last competition of the fall regular season before heading into championship play.
Volleyball:
This week the Tigers faced off against two SEC opponents with a road/home split. Mizzou demolished both Arkansas and Mississippi State in a clean sweep. Once again, the Tigers had multiple players in both games with 10 or more kills. The Tiger offense has been on the prowl these last few games and it has paid off. Right now the Tigers are ranked 25th in the country and have an overall record of 14-4 and are 6-2 in the SEC. The Tigers have won their last four games, all of which have been against SEC opponents.
The week Mizzou will have yet another home/road split. The first game they will play this week will be against number 13 Florida at home on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The Tigers will then turn around and travel to College Station, TX to take on Texas A&M on Nov. 3. The Tigers are just five weeks away from the conclusion of regular season play.
Edited by Emma Moloney