MU volleyball players Anna D’Cruz and Nicole Alford both reach for the ball on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 at Hearnes Center in Columbia.
After a disappointing performance in the UniWyo Invite last weekend, Missouri volleyball continued its early-season slide in its return to Columbia Tuesday night for a game against Kansas State.
Tuesday’s match highlighted the struggles that have impacted Missouri throughout their rough early season stretch and displayed the importance of experience, as the Tigers fell to the Wildcats in three sets.
Junior outside hitter Anna Dixon led the Missouri attack with 13 kills and a .267 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Addison Lyon contributed a team-high 17 assists, while graduate setter Nicole Alford added 11 assists of her own. Even with the Tigers strong individual performances, they couldn’t overcome Kansas State’s attack.
The Wildcats compiled 46 kills and a .284 hitting percentage, led by sophomore outside hitters Jayden Nembhard and Aliyah Carter, who produced a combined 33 kills. Junior setter Teana Adams-Kaonohi added a double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs.
After struggling offensively in Wyoming last weekend, Missouri fell into a similar rhythm against Kansas State. The Tigers generated a lackluster .140 hitting percentage and 18 errors, while struggling to capitalize on the Wildcats’s 17 attack errors and 10 service errors.
Missouri fell just shy of a comeback in the first set, as they battled back from a 24-20 deficit to make the game 24-23, before Nembhard sealed the win for Kansas State.
After jumping out to a 7-3 lead in the second set, the Tigers could not keep their momentum as the Wildcats responded with a 6-2 run, which would give them the lead for good.
The third set mirrored aspects of the first two,and displayed Missouri’s hardships closing out games. Following a hot start by Kansas State, Missouri used a 7-1 rush to tie the set at 10. Shortly after, the Wildcats pushed ahead, but once again the Tigers came back to make it 19-19. However, that is where their run ended, as Kansas State closed the game on a 6-1 stretch.
Missouri volleyball fell to 2-8 with the loss, while Kansas State improved to 7-2. This marks the fourth straight loss for the Tigers, who have not managed to win a single set throughout the streak.
The Tigers head east for the Redbird Classic this weekend, with a slate of games against cross-state rival Illinois, North Texas and host Illinois State.
Edited by Mason Arneson | marneson@themaneater.com