Missouri volleyball claimed a big 3-2 win (16-25, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20, 15-12) over Southeastern Conference opponent Alabama on Sunday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.
The win came after the Tigers (16-3, 7-0) lost the first two sets to the Crimson Tide (14-6, 3-4) and trailed in the third set before going on a 5-0 run to tie the set. They had two more set points before winning 27-25. Missouri held onto its lead in the final two sets to ultimately take the match.
This is Missouri’s seventh win in SEC play and continues the team’s undefeated record in conference action. The first loss in this match was the first set loss for the Tigers in the SEC this season.
The Tigers struggled in the first set. They had 10 attack errors and suffered from Alabama’s blocking. The second set was closer, but Missouri let Alabama get away with 3-0 run to win the set.
On the verge of a sweep, the Tigers came back in the third set with juniors Melanie Crow and Kira Larson on the attack. Crow had a team-high 23 kills and Larson followed with 16 kills. Senior Carly Kan was close behind with 15 kills.
Both Crow and Larson were key offensive attackers to help Missouri with their comeback in the third set. Sophomore Alyssa Munlyn had a team-high seven blocks.
Junior Courtney Eckenrode had 57 assists and nine digs. Senior Alexa Ethridge had 17 digs for the day, the team high. Missouri’s defense was key in the third set, helping with Alabama’s six attack errors.
Missouri will head back to Columbia for the next two SEC games. Louisiana State travels to Hearnes Center for a mid-week matchup at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Kentucky will come to Columbia at 1 p.m. Sunday.
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_