Conference opener? No problem. Playing on national television? No problem.

Giving up an 7-2 lead?

No problem.

The Missouri Tigers found themselves with a comfortable five-point cushion early in the second set of Friday night’s match against Mississippi State, but quickly saw the Bulldogs climb back into the set and tie it at 8-8.

The score stayed close as the score reached the teens, with the Bulldogs leading 16-15 at one point.

“They served tougher [in the second set],” Missouri coach Wayne Kreklow said. “We didn’t serve as well, we weren’t getting the kind of swings we got in [sets] one and three. We talked about just trying to be steady.

However, the Tigers remained mentally tough, something they struggled to do early in the year during clutch situations, and managed to pull back in front to win the set 25-23.

Outside of the second set, the Tigers didn’t face much resistance from the Bulldogs, winning the first and third sets by double-digit margins.

“We wanted to come out and prove that ‘You know what? Preseason’s over. This is Mizzou volleyball now,’” sophomore outside hitter Carly Kan said. “All of us were just really into it. No one was taking mental vacations.”

Freshman outside hitter Sydney Deeken made her home debut and was a key contributor on offense.

“I felt good,” Deeken said. “I was a little nervous at first, but I just thought of the match as practice. I didn’t think of it as an SEC game, just thought of it as another game.”

Deeken produced 10 kills and nine digs, one dig shy of a double-double.

“[Deeken]’s a big swing,” Kreklow said. “At this point in her development, she doesn’t have a lot of high-level skill, but she has a high ceiling. Right now, she functions mainly on size and atheticism. She has a surprisingly strong feel for the game, which helps a lot. She doesn’t make a lot of errors, and it helps having another option at the net.”

While Deeken finished just short of a double-double, Kan posted 14 kills and 10 digs, recording her nation-leading 12th double-double of the season.

With the win, the Tigers move to 10-5 on the season and 1-0 in Southeastern Conference play. They’ll play their second conference game on Sunday as they host the Tennessee Volunteers at Hearnes Center at 11 a.m.