Missouri volleyball lost its SEC home opener against South Carolina 25-12, 25-17, 25-19. With both teams coming off losses, the energy and competition level was palpable.
In their first set, the Tigers struggled to keep up with the Gamecocks and lost the first set 25-12 with a hitting percentage of .000. Junior outside hitter Anna Dixon made 3 of the 8 kills in the set, but it wasn’t enough to help her team emerge from the first set victorious.
Missouri kept the Gamecocks on their toes at the beginning of the second set. Even with an early lead of 1-4, the Tigers came up short, falling 25-17. Freshman setter Addison Lyon finished with 7 of the team’s 11 assists. In total, the team had 11 kills and a .171 hitting percentage for the set.
Missouri started its third set on the wrong foot but fought back, cutting the lead to just one point, 14-13. Graduate outside hitter Brynn Carlson accounted for 5 of the 11 kills for the set, narrowing the gap. However, the Tigers never overtook the Gamecocks in the third set and came up short 25-19 to lose in straight sets.
South Carolina graduate outside hitter Kyla Manning finished with 11 of the Gamecocks’ 40 kills, with a hitting percentage of .375. Freshman outside hitter Lauren McCutcheon provided the team with several solid serves, providing 3 of the Gamecocks’ 10 aces.
The Tigers are now 3-12 in 2021. Both programs match up again Friday at the Hearnes Center at 7 p.m.
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com