Missouri volleyball started off its season defeating Delaware State in straight sets in the James Madison Invitational on Friday.
The Tigers capitalized on Hornet errors in the first set. After an early 3-3 tie, Missouri was able to keep a constant lead for the remainder set, winning 25-16. Sophomore Kylie Deberg led the team with five kills and four digs in her first set as a Missouri Tiger.
The second set also resulted in an identical 25-16 victory for Missouri. Senior Alyssa Munlyn led the Tigers in the second set with three kills.
The Tigers offense took control in the third set. They hit .429 with 15 kills in the 25-14 win. Sophomore Leketor Member-Meneh led the way with three kills in the set.
“I thought overall we got better as the match went on,” coach Wayne Kreklow said in a press release. “First matches of the year are always difficult because you don’t have a lot of information on the team you’re playing. We got a lot of new faces on the court that we haven’t had before. There’s a lot of new pieces to fit. You’ll have to expect some rough patches as you go, but I was pleased with how we settled in as the match went along.”
Deberg led Missouri’s offense with 11 total kills on the match. Redshirt freshmen setters Andrea Fuentes and Jaden Newsome had 16 and 15 assists, respectively, in their first collegiate match. They will continue to be thrown into the spotlight at the setter position despite their collective inexperience.
Sophomore Tyanna Omazic, filling the role of injured middle hitter Kayla Caffey, led with five blocks. Munlyn and sophomore Dariana Hollingsworth led the match hitting .545 and .400, respectively. As a team, Missouri hit .337 and held Delaware State to a -.049 hitting percentage for the match.
Missouri will continue the invitational in Harrisonburg, Va. with Saturday matches against Fairfield and James Madison.
_Edited by Bennett Durando | bdurando@themaneater.com_