In its second game against Auburn this season, Missouri volleyball won its first SEC matchup in five well-fought matches Sunday afternoon, its first victory in exactly one month.
In the first set, freshman right side hitter Jordan Iliff finished with 8 of Missouri’s 19 kills and a hitting percentage of .800. Near the end of the set, Auburn freshman defensive specialist Fallan Lanham hit the ball over the net, and Iliff returned with a kill to win a point for the Tigers.
The relationship between Iliff and freshman setter Addison Lyon was on full display, as Lyon assisted in 7 of Iliff’s 8 kills in the set. Freshman outside hitter Kaylee Cox ended the first set with 3 kills, an assisted block with freshman middle blocker Trista Strasser, a solo block and an ace at the beginning of the set.
Missouri committed few errors during its first set compared to its game against Auburn on Saturday. It hit .390 in the first set compared to its final .097 hitting percentage after Saturday. Missouri pulled through and won its first set 27-25.
Missouri sought to stay dominant in the second set, but struggled out of the gates. Up 2-6 early, Auburn won four of its first six points from Missouri errors.
Junior outside hitter Anna Dixon’s leadership helped Missouri erase its deficit with an ace, solo block and 4 kills; 3 of which were back-to-back-to-back. In the middle of the set, both teams rallied before Strasser hit the ball up for Lyon, who passed the ball to Dixon for a kill and a Missouri point. Despite recovering the lead, Missouri eventually lost the second set 20-25.
The Tigers jumped out to an early 9-4 lead in the third set. Graduate outside hitter Brynn Carlson made 3 kills in Missouri’s first 9 points, with 6 total kills for the set. At the end of the set, Dixon hit the ball up to graduate setter Nicole Alford, who set the ball to Carlson for a Missouri kill. Carlson also finished with an assisted block early on in the set. Dixon finished with 6 kills in the set, advancing her hitting percentage to .286 and 15 kills through the first three sets, as Missouri won the set 25-23.
Both teams traded points for the majority of the fourth set, but Auburn eventually overtook Missouri to win the set 21-25. Dixon added 5 kills to advance to 20 kills in four sets, while Lyon and Cox each finished with an ace. Strasser also had 3 kills for the set. But Missouri made 13 errors in the fourth set, as Auburn forced a fifth.
After the first few plays in the final set, Missouri gained the lead and never looked back. Dixon made another 6 kills in the set ending the night with a total of 26, beating her previous record of 21 kills in a game. Missouri redshirt junior defensive specialist Erin Williamson made her first play in the game and killed the ball for the match winning point, 15-11.
After winning its first SEC game this season, Missouri looks to gain another victory at home Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Ole Miss.
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com
