Senior libero Maya Sands was awarded the tournament’s MVP award as Missouri Volleyball left the Leatherneck Classic with three wins and only one set lost during the weekend. The Tigers racked up multiple strong performances as they took down Valparaiso, Chicago State and Western Illinois. These decisive wins give the Tigers an 8-3 record as Southeastern Conference play approaches.
Along with Sands winning MVP honors, senior outside hitter Janet deMarrais and senior middle blocker Regan Haith also earned all-tournament honors for Missouri.
The Tigers fell behind early in the first set against Valparaiso. However, Missouri battled back, outscoring the Beacons 25-18. DeMarrais led the way for the Tigers in their 3-1 win, recording 20 kills, her season high. Sands also continued her strong start to the season, recording 60 total digs across the three games, 29 of which came against Valparaiso.
The Tigers didn’t take their foot off the gas in their final two games of The Leatherneck Classic. Missouri beat both Chicago State and Western Illinois in straight sets.
In the first two sets against Chicago State, Missouri outscored them 25-9 and 25-8, which were their two largest margins of victory for a set this season so far. The Tigers also had some new faces who made an impact. Freshmen Asia Harvey and Maca Lobaglio both recorded kills and blocks in the contest against Chicago State. Redshirt freshman Tia Phinezy also recorded a solo block and four kills.
The first set against Western Illinois went to extra points, but Missouri eventually won 26-24. The final two sets weren’t close as the Tigers took the second set 25-9 and the third set 25-11. Freshman Nina Mandovic made her first career start against Western Illinois, where she recorded 19 assists and four aces in the contest.
Conference play begins on Wednesday, Sept. 24, as Missouri will travel to College Station, Texas, to take on Texas A&M, which has a three-game win streak.
Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]
Copy edited by Emma Harper | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]
