The Tigers held on to early leads and fought the away team off for the sweep.
In the second game of the Tiger Invitational on Saturday, Missouri volleyball picked up their second 3-0 sweep of the season against South Dakota.
From the moment the first set started, South Dakota was unable to control Missouri’s incredibly strong serves, as the Tigers registered seven aces in the first set alone. Freshman libero Kaylin Rush and graduate outside hitter Dilara Gedikolu were top servers throughout the game.
The Tigers embrace on court. Photo/Grace Ainger
Missouri’s block and kill work prevented South Dakota from gaining any sort of momentum. Junior right side Jordan Iliff quickly set the tone for Missouri. Meanwhile, junior middle Morgan Isenberg’s blocks helped Missouri maintain their momentum. The first set finished with a Missouri victory, 25-17.
Though Missouri commanded the start of set two in a similar fashion to set one, South Dakota was able to bring the score from 7-3 to just 10-9 with a handful of kills. However, the Tigers rekindled some rhythm with timely digs, strong blocks and hard kills. Missouri took the second set, 25-19.
Sierra Dudley sets up Morgan Isenberg. Photo/Brice Beaird
The third set again started with an early lead for Missouri, but because of multiple serving and front line errors, South Dakota shrunk the lead to just one point. From there, the teams went back and forth, but the Coyotes were never able to take the lead from the Tigers. In the end, the Tigers ability to finish kills and force the Coyotes out of system allowed them to take the final set, 25-22.
The win brings Missouri’s record to 5-0, their best start since 2019. This game is also the second sweep under the new leadership of head coach Dawn Sullivan. Overall, the team clocked in 39 kills compared to South Dakota’s 26, with Iliff’s 12 leading the team. The Tigers also racked up 36 digs and 12 blocks, with sophomore libero Maya Sands and Isenberg leading in their respective fields.
The Coyotes take on Northern Kentucky in the Tiger Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 11 a.m.
Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.com