Missouri (18-3) held on to beat the No. 21 Kentucky Wildcats (16-5) on Sunday in a thrilling five-game match at the Hearnes Center. Missouri has now extended its win streak to 13 games, and the team remains undefeated in Southeastern Conference play.

In the first set, Kentucky started off strong, but the Tigers came back. During the set, Mizzou got into a rhythm that would play to their advantage on both offense and defense. After several rallies, the Tigers pulled through and take a victory in the first set 25-21.

“We knew this was a big game, we played the first set with a lot of energy,” coach Wayne Kreklow said.

Set two was a nail-biter as the Wildcats did not back down. Mizzou blocking was strong, but the Tigers started to struggle on offense, and the Wildcats took the lead. Kentucky created several missed serve errors to help give Mizzou the opportunity to come back. Senior Carly Kan shined on offense as she made several smart plays that helped the Tigers in tight situations. Mizzou took the set in extra points, 28-26.

After the second set, Missouri struggled. Kentucky gained a huge lead on the Tigers, and Missouri was not able to come back. The Tigers fell hard in the third set to the Wildcats, 25-16.

“That’s a theme for us; we are not a great third set team,” sophomore Emily Thater said. “But we’re a great team, they are a great team, and we were ready to battle.”

The fourth set was no different from the third as the Tigers continued to look out of system. Carly Kan continued to lead the pack with both an ace and smart shots to throw off the Wildcats. Despite the team’s efforts, the Wildcats took the fourth set with a close score of 25-22, forcing a tie-breaking set.

Set five worked out in favor of the Tigers as Mizzou won 15-12. The Tigers started out strong and continued their stellar blocking on defense.

Overall, the Tigers had an outstanding game. Four different players finished with over 10 kills, four Tigers had double-digit digs, and five had more than 10 points.

Thater shined at middle blocker. She earned a career high of 14 kills. Sophomore Alyssa Munlyn also dominated at the net with 11 kills and eight blocks, three of which were solo.

Kan lead the team with her eighth double-double of the year, finishing with 17 kills and 17 digs along with two service aces. Junior Sydney Deeken stepped in as an outside for Melanie Crow and had nine kills, 11 digs and two blocks.

Crow, a key player for the Tigers, is suffering from concussion-like symptoms, Kreklow said. Crow had concussion problems last season and needed to rest, he said.

“I anticipate Melanie being back,” Kreklow said. “I think right now the decision is, short-term, to keep her day to day. Let’s just shut it down for a little bit, let’s get back to normal, and we will move on from there.”

Junior Courtney Eckenrode tallied a 50-plus assist match, her third this year. She also had 12 digs to gain her third double-double of the year. Senior defensive specialist Alexa Ethridge shined on defense, leading the team with 17 digs against the Wildcats.

For their next match, the Tigers will travel to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies at 8 p.m. on Oct. 26.

“We really want to show we are one of those great teams,” Thater said. “We are no longer the underdogs, and we want other people to respect that.”

_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_