Mizzou's Trista Strasser lines up to spike the ball on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo. Though the score was close throughout the game, Marching Mizzou kept spirits high by playing from the stands.
Missouri volleyball returned home Wednesday night for a match against SEC foe Alabama. The Tigers and Crimson Tide produced a hard-fought match, but Alabama ultimately prevailed in a 20-25, 25-21, 25-17, 21-25, 15-13 victory.
Junior outside hitter Anna Dixon produced one of her most efficient games of the season, with 24 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Freshman middle blocker Trista Strasser tallied 9 blocks and 7 kills of her own, while freshman outside hitter Kaylee Cox added 22 digs.
Missouri rallied behind Dixon’s 9 kills and .600 hitting percentage in the first set. As a team, the Tigers compiled a .424 hitting percentage and held off the Crimson Tide’s attack, which consistently fought back.
The Tigers roared to a 8-1 lead behind 3 kills by Dixon and 3 Alabama errors. However, the Crimson Tide countered with a 15-8 stretch to fight back and tie the game at 16 apiece.
Following a kill by Strasser, Cox dove to the corner and stretched out her arm to provide a crucial dig for the Tigers, preventing an Alabama point. On the ensuing play, Dixon rose above the net and added to Missouri’s lead. The Tigers maintained this momentum and finished on a 7-4 run to give them their second set victory over a Power Five team this season.
However, Missouri’s attack couldn’t match the success of its first set. It committed 6 attack errors and dropped to a .192 hitting percentage, but the Tigers showcased resiliency by keeping the score close.
Alabama took advantage of Missouri’s errors and raced to a 5-2 start to hold off the Tigers, who couldn’t establish a lead throughout the entire set. The Crimson Tide mustered a slightly higher .194 hitting percentage, but were paced by 13 team kills and 6 blocks.
Midway through the second set, Alabama pulled away behind 2 kills by junior right side hitter Kennedy Muckelroy, including one in which she delivered a strike that two Missouri blockers couldn’t handle.
Mistakes that limited Missouri’s success this year reappeared in the third set. The Tigers produced a poor .065 hitting percentage, but their 7 attack errors and 3 service errors gave Alabama the momentum.
Both teams traded points early on, but Alabama used a Muckelroy kill that split between two Tiger blockers to capture an 11-8 lead. The Crimson Tide never looked back and freshman outside hitter Sami Jacobs delivered two consecutive aces to seal the victory.
The fourth set featured an intense atmosphere during a tight back-and-forth set. With the home crowd’s support, Missouri found the success they displayed throughout the first set.
After going down 5-2 early, Cox dove to the ground, used her hand to prevent a kill and gave Dixon the opportunity to hammer her own kill onto the Alabama side, which mounted a comeback opportunity. Soon after, Missouri benefited from 3 consecutive errors to build a 14-11 advantage.
With the set in their hands, the young Tigers held on, and overcame Alabama’s comeback attempt. The effort unveiled an area of growth for Missouri that has struggled to close out games and capitalize in clutch moments.
Alabama and Missouri entered the fifth set hungry for a victory. Each team applied this tenacity on the court in a hard-fought final set that featured several lead changes and ties.
After jumping out to multiple two-point leads early, the Tigers allowed Alabama to come back each time and ultimately tie the game at 11. Missouri responded with two consecutive points out of a timeout, which gave the Tigers a 13-11 lead and a path to victory. Alabama answered with a kill by Jacobs and used 3 attack errors by Dixon to propel them to their first SEC victory of the season.
The loss dropped the Tigers to 3-15 (0-5 SEC), while Alabama snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 9-9 (1-5 SEC).
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com