With a road victory against Louisiana State on Sunday, the Missouri Tigers volleyball team extended their win streak to eight matches, five of which have been sweeps. Mizzou has yet to drop a set against a Southeastern Conference opponent this season.
Missouri came out strong in the first set, hammering away 17 kills. Junior Melanie Crow and senior Carly Kan led the team in the set with five kills apiece. Kan and sophomore Alyssa Munlyn both reached a .800 or higher hitting percentage, also leading the Mizzou offense. The Tigers from Louisiana could not keep up, as Mizzou would claim the first set 25-17.
LSU showed up defensively in the second set and recorded seven blocks, but Mizzou would take win 25-14. Senior Emily Thater shined with a team high of three kills and three blocks in the second set, and junior Kira Larson contributed in blocking with three stops. In the first and second set, Missouri earned 10 total blocks, making it the team’s seventh match with double digit blocks so far this year.
In the third set, Mizzou and LSU went back and forth. The set consisted of 10 ties and three lead changes between the Tigers. Melanie Crow led the pack, as she would earn her 10th kill with the game tied at 23 apiece. Both Munlyn and Crow would join together for a dual block to end the game, winning 25-23.
Several Tigers had highlights in this game that contributed to their overall success so far this season. Manlyn’s hitting percentage was the sixth-highest single-match performance in Tiger volleyball history. Carly Kan led the Tigers with 11 kills, and Crow had kills tallied in the double digits for the 12th time this season. For the eighth match in a row, junior setter Courtney Eckenrode shined with 30 or more assists.
Missouri will play next at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 with a match at Auburn. The Tigers will come back to the Hearnes Center on Sunday, Oct. 9 to play the Arkansas Razorbacks. The match will start at 1:30 p.m.
_Edited by David Reynolds | dreynolds@themaneater.com_