The Missouri volleyball team (10-3, 1-0) was leading 2-0 heading into its third game against South Carolina (12-1, 0-1) on Wednesday night. The Tigers needed to win one more to sweep the match.
Melanie Crow scored an ace to start it off, and it was all Missouri from there. The Tigers dominated the entire match, sweeping their Southeastern Conference opener 25-12, 25-19 and 25-16.
“We came out pretty much on top of it in every single set,” senior Carly Kan said. “We’ve really struggled with our third set energy, and I think that coming out there and getting the ace helped us out so much.”
Crow was a power-hitter for Missouri, with 12 kills on .367 hitting. She had four aces and one block. It was her 10th game with double-digit kills. Coach Wayne Kreklow said she is consistently the hardest hitter on the team.
“She’s a banger,” he said. “She’s going up for a kill every time no matter what. I try to tell her be smart and if the ball’s not where you need it to be, get at least a shot. No question, she’s a power hitter.”
Kan had 10 kills, 14 digs and four blocks, and senior Emily Thater had eight kills, three aces and three blocks. Senior Alexa Ethridge led the team defensively with 18 digs.
The Tigers ran a 5-1 offense with five hitters and one setter, instead of a 6-2 like they did in the beginning of the season. Junior Courtney Eckenrode was the setter tonight, and she posted 39 assists.
With a 5-1, the tempo is fast-paced, which is what fans saw tonight on the court. Kan said it’s also easier to get into a flow and help the team become one unit, but knowing when and how to switch the offense is important.
With a 6-2, Missouri can prepare for bigger players on the other side of the net, which is something it will need to do later in the season when post-season play comes around. At 5-foot-9, Kan and Eckenrode are both fairly small, so using taller hitters in the 6-2 offense would help with blocks against the volleyball powerhouses down the road.
“My goal is to be prepared to utilize both,” Kreklow said. “Both have attractive qualities to it, but I think it has to be situational, where if we have a run going we can get someone in there and put it away or edge out the team far enough.”
Missouri will take on Mississippi on Sunday afternoon at the Hearnes Center. Kan said sweeping South Carolina helped boost the team’s confidence heading into more SEC matches.
“We’re coming out with confidence and that belief in ourselves, and we have a lot of weapons, so how can you not be confident in each and every one of us?” Kan said. “When one person is down we have four more to back her up. We have a lot of flow right now, and that’s just what we need.”
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_