The Missouri volleyball team (9-3) had a strong weekend in Newark, Delaware, winning the Delaware Invitational title with wins over Delaware, Duquesne and Miami.
Mizzou took on Duquesne (9-5) on Friday, winning in three straight sets (25-11, 25-9, 25-17). The Tigers had both strong offense and defense, leading the team to victory. The offense had 43 kills, and the defense had 10 total blocks.
In the first set, Mizzou came out with a 5-1 offensive formation for the first time this season, and it seemed to work well. The Tigers dominated in hitting with 13 kills, and juniors Melanie Crow and Kira Larson had four kills apiece. Junior Courtney Eckenrode helped the offense with 12 assists.
In the second set, the Tigers continued to play strong. The team had 13 kills, with Crow and senior Carly Kan leading the way. Defensively, the Tigers had five blocks, and five different players had several blocks throughout the first two sets. The Dukes tried to fight back in the set, but Mizzou continued to hold tough offensively and defensively. Crow would get more kills, and Eckenrode tallied 14 more assists.
In the showdown with Duquesne, Mizzou had its second match with over .400 hitting, and the defense had their third match in a row with double digit blocks. Crow had a team high of 14 kills, and sophomore Alyssa Munlyn and Larson each had seven kills to lead the offense. Eckenrode shined on the court, finishing with 35 assists — her fifth match with over 30 assists this year.
On Saturday, Mizzou opened with a match against the Miami Hurricanes (6-6). The Tigers had 17 kills, and Eckenrode excelled once again on offense. Larson had a team high of seven kills and contributed an ace and two digs, performing well offensively and defensively. Crow and senior Emily Thater had a great first set, helping the Tiger offense with four and three kills, respectively.
Miami took the second set, but the Tigers still had bright spots on the court. Larson had 10 overall kills, earning her third double-digit match of the season. Eckenrode dominated on offense, earning her second double-double of the season.
Mizzou rebounded well in the third set, in which the Tiger offense excelled with 16 kills. Crow had six of the kills. In the fourth set, the Tigers and Hurricanes would go point to point. Crow helped Missouri come out on top with two digs, and Kan had two kills.
The Tigers took on Delaware (6-6) as in their last match of the tournament. They jumped on Delaware early, getting a huge lead to win the first set. Munlyn was great on both offense and defense, tallying four kills and four blocks. Crow also had four kills.
In the second set, Thater dominated with four kills. The Tigers also had five players with at least one block. The blocking was lead by Munlyn, who had five total, two being solo, to stop Delaware.
Thater added four more kills to her overall total in the final set. She had a total of 12 kills, a season high. Once again, the Tigers’ blocking helped them claim the victory, limiting Delaware to 21 kills.
With three straight wins, Missouri claimed the championship title at the 2016 Delaware Invitational.
Several Tigers were recognized for their performances. Crow, RS junior Kira Larson and Kan were named to the Delaware All-Tournament Team. Melanie Crow won MVP honors after earning a team high of 39 kills, four aces and 44 points.
Mizzou will return home Wednesday to host South Carolina in the first Southeastern Conference matchup of the year. The game will start at 8 p.m. in the Hearnes Center.
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_
