Mizzou volleyball players Trisha Strasser, left, and Nicole Alford jump to block South Carolina’s play on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 at Hearnes Center in Columbia.
In Missouri volleyball’s third SEC matchup of the season, it sought to emerge victorious after a three-set loss to South Carolina Thursday night. The Tigers faced the Gamecocks for a second time, but after four matches, emerged with a loss 18-25, 25-23, 20-25, 21-25.
The Tigers were hungry for a comeback after Thursday night’s loss, which showed in their first set. Missouri had an early lead 7-5, and Junior outside hitter Anna Dixon was on fire with kills. Dixon accounted for 4 of the Tigers’ 6 kills in the set, assisting with their .053 hitting percentage. But they came up short, losing to the Gamecocks 18-25.
Missouri started the second set strong, leading 11-7 midway through it. Graduate outside hitter Brynn Carlson provided 5 of Missouri’s 12 kills in the set, while Dixon finished with an ace. However, the Gamecocks kept the set close until the Tigers picked up game point. Missouri won the second set with a final score of 25-23.
The hosts entered its third set with the same camaraderie, working well as a team throughout the set, but fell short toward the end. Carlson and Dixon each had 3 kills, accounting for half the Tigers’ 12 kills and .233 hitting percentage in a set that ended in a 20-25 loss.
Freshman middle blocker Kayla Burbage made 4 of the Tigers’ blocks against South Carolina in the fourth set, while freshman middle blocker Trista Strasser also had an ace to close the gap on a close set. Even with the Tiger’s strong defensive game, Missouri lost the set 21-25 to end the night.
South Carolina freshman outside hitter Lauren McCutcheon finished with a .350 hitting percentage and finished 8 of the Gamecocks’ 59 kills. Graduate outside hitter Kyla Manning made 18 kills on the night and led the team to its hitting percentage of .279.
The Tigers are now 3-13 on the season. They again seek their first SEC win when they travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, they will play LSU Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com