Missouri Volleyball fended off the Alabama Crimson Tide in three hard-fought sets, sweeping them on Wednesday, Oct. 11. Sophomore outside hitter Janet deMarrais stole the show against the Crimson Tide, tallying 24 kills on the night.

MU could not pull away early from Alabama in the first set. The lead was never greater than six points for the Tigers, though they maintained a lead throughout the entire set. deMarrais and junior right side Jordan Iliff extended the lead further throughout the set. The Crimson Tide made it close, going on a three-point run closing the lead to 20-17. deMarrais and the Tigers closed out the first set, winning 25-22.

Alabama got out to a hot start to begin the second set, getting ahead 4-8. Again it was deMarrais scoring for the Tigers, recording three kills in a row to regain the lead. MU used that momentum with a variety of players chipping in to add to the lead. Senior middle blocker Colleen Finney added to the count, as did Iliff and Turkish outside hitter Dilara Gedikoglu, making the score 20-15 and giving the Tigers a respectable lead while attempting to close out the set.

Alabama made a run at that lead, trying to spoil a second set win for the Tigers. Two kills from senior middle blocker Alyiah Wells, as well as two errors from the Tigers, closed the gap to 20-19. Wells and deMarrais traded kills, advancing the score further. The Crimson Tide took the lead off a Tiger ball handling error, making the score 23-24. deMarrais responded with two points of her own, one a service ace. The Tigers and Crimson Tide would exchange points, with MU ultimately coming out on top 30-28.

The third set went back and forth for its entirety, with no team able to pull away till the very end. With the score being 19-18, deMarrais’s four kills would eventually lead the Tigers to victory. MU won the final set 25-20, sweeping the Crimson Tide. 

deMarrais set her career high for kills against Alabama, totalling 24 through three sets. She also recorded a .400 hitting percentage for the match. deMarrais now has 159 kills on the season, paired with a hitting percentage of .237. 

After defeating the Crimson Tide, the Tigers improved to 11-7 on the season. The Ole Miss Runnin’ Rebels will travel to Columbia on Oct. 15 to take on the Tigers at home. 

Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com