Missouri Tigers volleyball and the Arkansas State Red Wolves split a two-game series in Jonesboro, Arkansas, ending the matchup in a 1-1 tie.

The Tigers’ trip down south was successful for players across the board. Senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander had 29 kills between both games, and redshirt senior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail took some leaps and had 12 blocks. Redshirt junior setter Marina Crownover left with an outstanding 85 assists, and senior libero Maya Sands put on a defensive show with 43 digs.

In match one on Sept. 4, the teams battled through five intense sets. Mizzou took the first set 26-24, but Arkansas State answered with a dominant 25-16 win in the second. With Alexander’s six kills, the Tigers claimed the third with a score of 25-19, only for the Red Wolves to edge out the fourth 25-22. In a high-pressure fifth set, Missouri jumped ahead 8-5, but Arkansas stormed back to win 15-11, claiming the upset victory.

Match two was another thriller. After falling behind early in the opening set, the Tigers rallied, sparked by two aces from Alexander, to win 25-19. Arkansas fought back to take the second set 25-21, but Mizzou took the third 25-18, propelled by key blocks from Ariail, Crownover and Alexander. The Red Wolves opened the fourth with a 7-0 run and held on for a 25-21 victory, forcing another decisive final set.

Both teams traded points before Missouri pulled ahead after a media timeout, ending the set 15-12 on a clutch ace from freshman libero Zoey Matias-Lopez.

With the series split, Missouri moves forward to face Stanford on Sept. 9, followed by matchups with Wyoming and Rhode Island on Sept. 11.

Edited by Colin Simmons | [email protected]
Copy edited by Avery Copeland | [email protected]
Edited by Alex Gribb | [email protected]