Iliff racks up her 1,000th kill in an electric Hearnes Center atmosphere
Missouri volleyball (11-5, 2-2 SEC) powered past the Alabama Crimson Tide (9-6, 1-3 SEC) with a 3-0 sweep to bring the team’s SEC record back to .500.
The first set tight early on as neither team had a lead higher than three points, as Alabama led 21-18. Late in the set the Tigers went on a 6-0 run, giving them the lead down the stretch. A kill by Colleen Finney clinched the set 25-22 in favor of the Tigers.
“I thought early on we were a little bit tight and just almost forcing things to happen,” Head coach Dawn Sullivan said. “As we went, we started relaxing.”
Jordan Iliff and Mychael Vernon led the way with a combined nine kills. The Tigers continued the momentum into the second set as they went on a 3-0 run to give them a three-point lead in the middle of the set. Missouri led the rest of the way, winning the second set 25-19.
Three late kills by Iliff helped propel the Tigers in the second set, bringing her total up to 11 in the match.
Looking for a sweep, the Tigers battled in the third set. A late 3-0 run for the Tigers thrusted them to a 25-21 third set win and a sweep in the match.
Marina Crownover continued her successful first year at the Tigers with 41 assists.
A large number of those assists went to Iliff, as she finished 17 kills. This included her 1,000th career kill and 100th career ace.
“I was so excited and I was excited to be here in the Hearnes Center with so many fans and my family and all my friends watching,” Iliff said.
While Missouri swept the match, they failed to separate throughout all three sets.
“I feel good. I feel really good. All week, we worked really hard to start, dig, transition, and I really loved the way we dug the ball tonight and allowed ourselves to transition for points,” Sullivan said. “ [But] I think our team understood these are some areas we got to continue to get better at.”
The Tigers look to continue their momentum again against Tennessee on Sunday, Oct. 13.
Copy edited by Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com
