One week after an Ole Miss sweep, Missouri volleyball returned home to face Georgia — the third place team in the Southeastern Conference. The Bulldogs entered the game with a three-game win streak, looking to extend it to five in a weekend-long series against Missouri.
After a competitive first game — ending in a Georgia victory in five sets, 3-2 — the Bulldogs took momentum into game two, winning 3-0. They handed Missouri its 13th loss of the season to complete the sweep and keep the Tigers in last place in the conference.
The Tigers took set one 25-14. Fueled by senior outside hitter Anna Dixon, who recorded 16 kills on the afternoon, and sophomore outside hitter Kaylee Cox, who recorded 22, Missouri set the tone early— staying even with the Bulldogs in kills.
Georgia answered with a 25-16 victory in set two. Senior outside hitter Kacie Evans combated Dixon and Cox by recording 17 kills and playing a big role in the Bulldogs’ set three victory, 25-21.
The Tigers received a spark from freshman setter Riley Buckley, who led the team in assists, finishing with 29 total. Her assists and court presence propelled the Tigers in set four — forcing a final set after their 25-17 victory.
In set five, Georgia capitalized on Missouri errors. Five total errors from the offense made the difference in points, also aided by Georgia aces. The Bulldogs tallied seven more aces than the Tigers, including one from sophomore defensive specialist Bailey Cox late in the set. The Bulldogs went on to take set five 15-11, winning the game 3-2.
On day two, Georgia nearly doubled Missouri’s total kills, tallying 11 in the first set alone. Errors again proved costly for the Tigers, who scored the same amount of points as they committed errors — allowing Georgia to take a 1-0 lead, 25-11.
Twelve more assists from Buckley helped the Tigers keep sets two and three closer. Evans’ 18 kills paired with junior middle blocker Sophie Fischer’s 11, kept both sets out of reach for Missouri, who lost 25-23 and 25-20, respectively.
Despite the third sweep of the season, the Tigers found a silver lining in Dixon, who recorded her 1000th career kill during the third set of the first game.
Edited by Davis Wilson | dwilson@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Julia Williams
