The Missouri volleyball team kicked off Southeastern Conference play with a win Wednesday night at Hearnes Center against No. 9 Florida, the defending conference champions.

The teams battled for the first two matches, tallying up a total of 22 tie scores and 10 lead changes. Although they lost dropped matches, the Tigers didn’t give up.

“We did really well the first match, we did really well the second match, and we just started off slow in the third match,” sophomore Kira Larson said. “In the third game, we just kind of looked at each other and took a timeout and said, ‘The score doesn’t matter. It’s 0-0. We go out and fight for this.’ We just shook off those first couple bad plays and started fresh.”

After being down 12-3 in the third match, the Tigers picked up the pace and finished 25-21, starting the comeback.

Playing smaller schools in the preseason tournaments helped them prepare for situations like this match, where they need to dig themselves out.

“We were in a number of situations early (in the season) where we did have to work and we did have to dig ourselves out of some holes,” Mizzou coach Wayne Kreklow said. “That certainly helped, knowing that we’ve been there and done that. And it wasn’t always easy, but I think it helped prepare for the mental grind that you have to go through in one of these matches.”

That mental grind carried over to the fourth and fifth matches, where the battle continued.

Junior Carly Kan contributed greatly to the success of the serving game, and the team as a whole ended the night with only six missed serves.

“Our serving I think was a key factor in the whole game,” Kan said. “We would get on runs and they (Florida) would have a hard time passing and were always out of system. And I think we would just go on a run, and then they’d get a point, and we’d just side out right after.”

A combination of aggression at the net and consistent passing also gave the Tigers an edge. Middle blockers Julia Towler and Alyssa Munlyn finished off the night with a .588 and .214 hitting percentage, respectively. Outside hitter Regan Peltier ended with a .214.

Kan and libero Alexa Ethridge contributed 24 digs combined, making the consistent hitting possible.

“At the end of the day, going into matches like this, at least for me, one of the biggest things is not so much the outcome but the way that you as an individual and as a team carry yourself,” Kreklow said. “I want to see us compete from start to finish. Whatever happens, happens. And I think we did a heck of a job competing all the way through.”