The Missouri volleyball team waited all season to celebrate the way they did in the locker room Saturday night.
“We definitely went in there after the game and we all danced,” freshman middle blocker Whitney Little said.
The Tigers continued their success at home with a sweep against No. 21 Oklahoma on Saturday, moving them to 4-6 in Big 12 play. It was the first time Missouri has defeated a ranked team since 2010, when they knocked Northern Iowa out of the first round of the NCAA tournament. The last time they swept a ranked opponent was in 2006 when they defeated No. 5 Texas in three games.
Freshman outside hitter Emily Wilson said the atmosphere after the game was one she wants to keep around for the next few weeks.
“Everyone is just so pumped, and we all just played really well (Saturday),” Wilson said. “It was definitely a needed win. It was a great feeling, especially to come out and beat them in three. It’s definitely just a big step for us and its going to play a huge part in the rest of the season.”
Little said the win helps the team’s confidence going into the match at Kansas tomorrow.
“We’re going to try to take what we had on Saturday and bring it to this match,” Little said. “I think that since we beat Oklahoma, we can beat anyone. It really helps our confidence, and we’re really starting to come together as a group. I mean, it’s the rivalry, so everyone’s hyped up. I’ve never been there before, but I’ve heard it’s really fun and everyone gets really into it so our win will definitely help with that.”
Wilson said the new confidence is something the team has to thrive off for the six remaining conference games.
“With Oklahoma being a ranked team and us sweeping them, it’s just something where we can’t look back,” Wilson said. “We just have to keep playing and keep going, so it’s definitely going to be a big confidence booster.”
Little said the game-changer against Oklahoma was the bond the team finally has after adding seven new freshmen into the mix this season.
“It’s been a struggle trying to get everyone to mesh since there’s so many new people, but I think everything’s starting to come together,” Little said.
The Tigers are still looking for their first conference win on the road, and Little said she thinks the combination of beating Oklahoma and playing their rivals tomorrow will get the job done.
“We definitely want to win one of our away games, and there’s not a better chance than (tomorrow) against Kansas,” Little said.
Although the Tigers were close to their first win on the road against Oklahoma, Baylor and Kansas State, they dropped the last set in all three matches and added to their losses away from the Hearnes Center. Wilson said the team needs to get ahead and stay ahead at Kansas to prevent that from happening again.
“We’ve been so close, and we need to be able to finish our matches,” Wilson said. “We keep losing in five, so we need to be able to finish those on top. That will help us win and get better.”
The Tigers defeated the Jayhawks at home in four sets Oct. 12. The match tomorrow is televised and begins at 6 p.m. at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
