After two victories to close out the Cardinal Classic on Sept. 5, Missouri volleyball journeyed west last weekend for the UniWyo Invite, hosted by the University of Wyoming.
The Tigers began the tournament against an experienced Northwestern Wildcats team, and although Missouri kept each set close, they lost their opening match 25-21, 25-21, 28-26. The loss highlights a prominent theme for Missouri over the weekend: offensive inefficiency. The Tigers mustered a lowly .172 hitting percentage, while struggling to find rhythm and consistency.
Junior outside hitter Anna Dixon guided the Tiger attack with 11 kills, while freshman outside hitter Kaylee Cox — last week’s SEC Volleyball Freshman of the Week — tallied 8 kills. Defensively, freshman middle blockers Kayla Burbage and Trista Strasser contributed with four and five blocks, respectively.
Missouri’s inexperience plagued them throughout the match as they struggled to close out each set, and ultimately gave the Wildcats control. In the first set, Missouri couldn’t recover after it trailed 21-20 late in the set. Similarly, the Tigers could not take advantage of a tight 26-26 game in the third set.
On Friday evening, the Tigers allowed mistakes that plagued them against the Wildcats to repeat themselves against UC Santa Barbara, producing a mere .151 hitting percentage and failing to capitalize on close situations.
The Gauchos made 11 blocks and finished with a .244 hitting percentage to hold the Tigers at bay. Dixon contributed a team-high of 18 kills, while freshman setter Addison Lyon recorded her first double-double with 13 digs and 26 assists for the Tigers.
After gaining a 24-22 lead in the third set, Missouri appeared likely to avoid a second consecutive sweep. But the Gauchos finished the game on a 5-1 run to deal a crushing blow to the Tigers, handing them their fifth three-set loss of the season.
Missouri ended their weekend with a match against host Wyoming Saturday night. The Tigers couldn’t overcome their slow start and were swept for the third match in a row: 13-25, 22-25, 22-25.
Dixon led the Tigers once again with 12 kills, while three freshmen, Burbage, Cox and right side Jordan Iliff, tacked on 7 kills each. Lyon set personal bests with 33 assists and 3 blocks in the loss.
Wyoming’s .313 hitting percentage, coupled with 17 Missouri errors, gave the Cowgirls enough momentum to take down the Tigers, and they did so in the process of handing the Tigers their third straight loss.
The Tigers are now 2-8 on the season after dropping two games to Kansas State last Tuesday.
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com
