Missouri volleyball worked its way back into the win column with a victory over the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, Mississippi, Wednesday evening.
The opening set went poorly for the home team as the Rebels committed seven hitting errors, earning just a .059 team hitting percentage overall in the set. Missouri took advantage of the Rebels’ sloppy offensive play and claimed the first set victory 25-18. Propelling the Tigers to the set win was redshirt freshman Kayla Caffey who shined as an all-around player at the net with four kills and two total blocks.
But the Rebels would respond well in the second set, turning the match around by dominating at the net. The Tigers were outplayed on offense, earning just nine kills while the Rebels had 16. Ole Miss reestablished its control of the match by taking a 25-18 win in the second set.
The Tigers and the Rebels battled point-for-point in the third set. Ole Miss would jump ahead in the set, earning six more kills than the TIgers. Consistent unforced errors at the net and behind the service line would cost the Rebels as they allowed the Tigers to catch up and bring the score into extra points. After three attacking errors in a row by the Rebels, the Tigers took the set victory 27-25.
Similar to the third set, the fourth went back and forth. Two consecutive attacking errors by the Rebels gave the Tigers a quick lead before Ole Miss took over with five consecutive points to secure a 5-2 lead. But the Tigers pushed back, earning points kill after kill with a stellar offensive attack. After several kills from Missouri and a set of unforced errors made by the Rebels, the Tigers grabbed the final set victory 25-23.
Missouri head coach Wayne Kreklow was pleased with the outcome of the hard-fought match.
“I was really proud of the kids tonight,” Kreklow said in a press release. “Ole Miss has been playing well lately and we knew getting a win here was going to be difficult. I was really pleased with how we got contributions from everyone. Throughout the match at different times, somebody different would step up and make a big play for us. This really was a great team effort tonight.”
After failing to establish a solid double block in the team’s last few competitions, the Tigers stepped up at the net for this match, finishing with 27 total blocks.
Junior middle blocker Alyssa Munlyn led the Tigers with eight blocks to power the defense. Freshman Leketor Member-Meneh came off the bench as a power source on the outside, earning her sixth double-digit kill match, her third in conference play.
Missouri concludes its brief road trip against the Georgia Bulldogs this Sunday, Oct. 29. The first serve in Athens, Georgia, is set for 12:30 p.m. CT.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_
