In Missouri volleyball’s third SEC matchup of the season, it sought to emerge victorious after a three-set loss to South Carolina Thursday night. The Tigers faced the Gamecocks for a second time, but after four matches, emerged with a loss 18–25, 25-23, 20-25, 21-25.

The Tigers were hungry for a comeback after Thursday night’s loss, which showed in their first set. Missouri had an early lead 7-5, and Junior outside hitter Anna Dixon was on fire with kills. Dixon accounted for 4 of the Tigers’ 6 kills  in the set, assisting with their .053 hitting percentage. But they came up short, losing to the Gamecocks 18–25.

Missouri started the second set strong, leading 11-7 midway through it. Graduate outside hitter Brynn Carlson provided 5 of Missouri’s 12 kills in the set, while Dixon finished with an ace. However, the Gamecocks kept the set close until the Tigers picked up game point. Missouri won the second set with a final score of 25-23.

The hosts entered its third set with the same camaraderie, working well as a team throughout the set, but fell short toward the end. Carlson and Dixon each had 3 kills, accounting for half the Tigers’ 12 kills and .233 hitting percentage in a set that ended in a 20-25 loss.

Freshman middle blocker Kayla Burbage made 4 of the Tigers’ blocks against South Carolina in the fourth set, while freshman middle blocker Trista Strasser also had an ace to close the gap on a close set. Even with the Tiger’s strong defensive game, Missouri lost the set 21-25 to end the night.

South Carolina freshman outside hitter Lauren McCutcheon finished with a .350 hitting percentage and finished 8 of the Gamecocks’ 59 kills. Graduate outside hitter Kyla Manning made 18 kills on the night and led the team to its hitting percentage of .279.

The Tigers are now 3-13 on the season. They again seek their first SEC win when they travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, they will play LSU Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com