The Missouri Tigers swept the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Sunday to recover from their loss last Wednesday against Texas A&M. It was Mizzou’s 10th Southeastern Conference win and Wayne Kreklow’s 250th win as head coach.

The Tigers dominated the first set, defeating the Bulldogs 25-11. Mizzou had outstanding blocking on defense, shutting down Mississippi State repeatedly. The Bulldogs never recovered, and they struggled against Mizzou’s talented front line.

Set two would start in favor of the Bulldogs. Mizzou struggled to find a rhythm and made several simple errors. However, the set remained close as points went back and forth. The Tigers came out on top, taking the second set away from the Bulldogs 25-20.

Blocking for the Tigers remained strong in the third set, but the Bulldogs battled back and kept the score close. Late in the set, junior Ali Kreklow and sophomore Hao Jin entered the game to help out the Tigers. Mizzou powered through rough patches, taking the third set 25-19.

“It didn’t surprise me that we would come out and bounce back with a win,” Wayne Kreklow said.

During the match, several Tigers had strong moments that helped lead Mizzou to another victory.

Redshirt junior Melanie Crow returned to the court after missing the two previous matches with concussion-like symptoms. In her first game back, she had five digs, four blocks and a team-high 13 kills.

“I just needed to take a step back, and it was really good for me,” Crow said. “Wayne and Susan [Kreklow] have been so supportive.”

Senior Carly Kan tallied 12 kills, making this game her fifth consecutive match with a double-double. Redshirt junior Kira Larson had a big performance at the net with six kills and five blocks. Larson also produced a season-high four aces.

Sophomore Alyssa Munlyn shined on defense with a season-high 10 blocks, three of which were solo. Senior Alexa Ethridge had an outstanding game as the libero, earning a team-high 11 digs and five assists.

The team has recorded 10-plus blocks in six of their previous eight matches, showing how strong the defense has been against conference opponents.

Next, the Tigers travel to Knoxville to take on Tennessee at 6 p.m. on Nov. 4.

“I hope the challenge is not to be satisfied,” Wayne Kreklow said. “The last few weeks of our season is not going to be easy. We need to keep working.”

_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_