Missouri finished their home invitational 3-0 after dropping only one set. Here’s what happened across the three games at the Hearnes Center.

Kansas City: Win, 3-0

(25-13, 25-15, 25-18)

The Missouri Tigers took a swift 2-0 lead in the first set with a pair of kills from Jordan Iliff. Regan Haith was steadfast at the net with three blocks, as Kansas City struggled to attack around her. MU took back the set with each turnover and UMKC called the first timeout when the score reached 10-3.

MU made a couple of service errors but quickly recovered each time. The Tigers took advantage of UMKC’s service errors with more destructive blocks from Haith and critical kills from Mycheal Vernon. 

More early kills from Iliff and Vernon pushed the lead to 19-10. Missouri took the first set 25-13 with a final kill from Haith.

Kansas City took an early 4-2 lead in the second set after some Tiger miscommunication. After a back-and-forth between the teams, MU took back the lead 11-8 with blocks from Sierra Dudley and multiple kills from Vernon. 

Morgan Isenberg contributed to the kill streak, adding to a 17-10 lead and forcing Kansas City to call their second timeout. With a final kill from Vernon, the Tigers took the second set 25-15.

In the third set, service errors would show to be one of the Tigers weaknesses as the Roos took the lead early on. The teams went back and forth until an ace from Janet deMarrais gave the Tigers a solid  6-5 lead. With two blocks from Colleen Finney, the Roos called their first timeout at 8-5. 

With one final service error from the Roos, the Tigers won the third set 25-18 to take the first game of the Mizzou Invitational. 

UT Martin: Win, 3-0

(25-12, 25-9, 25-13)

The Tigers took a 4-2 lead in the first set of the UT Martin match with kills from Iliff and deMarrais. After a barrage of blocks and kills from Vernon, the Skyhawks called their first timeout with the score 11-5. 

The Tigers’ communication in this set proved to be vital early on with back-to-back kills from Iliff and a service ace by Maya Sands as the Tigers led 22-8. With a final kill from Vernon, the Tigers took the first set 25-12. 

With back-to-back kills from both Iliff and deMarrais, the Tigers took a hefty 6-2 lead off an early 4-0 run in the third set.

The Tigers’ blocks held the Skyhawks at arm’s length, and a block from deMarrais ended the second set with a score of 25-9. 

UT Martin grabbed an early 2-1 lead in the third set. Missouri’s stars Iliff and Vernon responded with kills as the Tigers took back the lead 9-5. 

The Skyhawks made five more service errors this set, and the Tigers front row made sure to take advantage of them. Vernon blasted one final kill, allowing the Tigers to win the match in straight sets.

Lindenwood: Win, 3-1

(25-17, 25-16, 22-25, 25-13)

Lindenwood opened the match strong, taking the lead 2-0 in the first set. MU struggled to get around the Lion’s blockers but benefitted from their opponent’s errors. Following a tip and kill from Iliff, the Tigers entered the first break with a 15-13 lead. 

Once the Tigers got the lead, they didn’t let go of it. With back-to-back kills from Iliff and digs from Sands, MU went on a 4-0 run to extend the lead. With one final kill from Vernon, the Tigers took the first set 25-17.

With kills from Isenberg, Finney and deMarrais, the Tigers opened the second set with the lead 9-3. Lindenwood kept the set close with a score of 13-10.

Service errors would be both teams biggest weaknesses, with Lindenwood with four and Missouri with five, as both teams went back and forth between their miss serves.One final Lions service error by LU gave the Tigers the second set 25-16.

The Lions fought back with fire in the third set, building an 11-7 lead.

The Tigers would take the lead briefly 20-19 with a kill and a block from Isenberg, however communication seemed to be a leading factor in MU’s struggles, as Lindenwood took the third set 25-22 and avoided the sweep.

The Tigers responded strongly in the fourth set, as a tip from deMarrais put them in the lead 5-4. 

With kills from Haith and digs from Kiaraliz Perez Catala, the Tigers built a strong lead of 19-6. One final gasp from Lindenwood kept the final set respectable, however Tigers won the match with a fourth set win 25-13.

“Dawn [Sullivan] came in our circle and she was just like, ‘We need to be the drivers’,” Finney said after the Lindenwood match. “We need to go in there, start strong, finish strong, and keep driving through.”  

The Tigers will play on Sept. 19-20 in the Lipscomb Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com