Members of the Missouri Tigers volleyball team celebrate taking the lead in Sunday’s win over Mississippi State. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Women’s Volleyball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State (7-8,1-5) | 25 | 12 | 31 | 18 | (1) |
| Missouri (13-5, 4-2) | 27 | 25 | 29 | 25 | (3) |
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA, MO — The University of Missouri women’s volleyball team earned its fourth straight win by taking down Mississippi State in four sets (27-25, 25-12, 29-31, 25-18), Sunday afternoon in a Southeastern Conference game at the Hearnes Center.
Missouri is now 13-5 on the season and 4-2 in SEC play. The victory was a fun conclusion of a four-game homestand for Mizzou, in which the Tigers won every game, including three straight SEC wins.
Senior right side hitter Jordan Iliff led the Tigers with 23 kills, 12 digs and four aces on a .315 hitting clip, marking her ninth double-double this season.
Grad student outside hitter Mychael Vernon joined Iliff in double figures with her eighth double-double this season. She posted 22 kills and 14 digs on a .378 hitting percentage.
Libero Maya Sands tied a career-high, notching 30 digs and 10 assists for her second career double-double and first since her freshman campaign at UNLV (10/6/22, at New Mexico).
Redshirt sophomore setter Marina Crownover tallied 55 assists, 14 digs and two aces for her fifth double-double of the season.
The first set was tight from start to finish, with Mississippi State gaining the first set point at 24-22, but Mizzou went on a 5-1 rally to close the set and win 27-25.
The second set was all Mizzou. The Tigers put together two 6-0 runs in the first half of the set and led 15-2.
From there, the teams traded points until Missouri was able to close out with a 25-12 win.
The third set was another tight one. Mississippi State led most of the way and even had the first set point.
But Mizzou responded and took the lead back and had two match points of its own, before the Bulldogs reeled off three straight points to close the set and win 31-29.
The fourth set was like the second, all Mizzou. The Tigers jumped out to a quick lead at 8-5, then pushed it to 10-6 and 15-8, before eventually closing out the match with a 25-18 win.
With its homestand concluded, Mizzou will be on the road for its next two matches. First, the Tigers will travel to Fayetteville on Thursday, October 25, to take on Arkansas. Then on Sunday, October 27, the Tigers will visit Norman to play Oklahoma.
That matchup against Arkansas will be a big one. Mizzou and Arky are currently tied for third place in the SEC league standings.
Start times are set for 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. in the Friday and Sunday matchups, respectively. Both matches will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
2024 MISSOURI TIGERS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 25, 2024 (Friday) | 7 pm | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. |  |
| October 27, 2024 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Away | Oklahoma | Norman, Okla. | |
| November 1, 2024 (Friday) | 8 pm | Away | #7 Texas | Austin, Texas |  |
| November 6, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Georgia | Columbia, Mo. / Hearnes Center | |
| November 10, 2024 (Sunday) | 5:30 pm | Home | South Carolina | Columbia, Mo. / Hearnes Center | |
| November 15, 2024 (Friday) | 7 pm | Home | #19 Florida | Columbia, Mo. / Hearnes Center | |
| November 22, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 pm | Away | Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | |
| November 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| November 27, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | #12 Kentucky | Columbia, Mo. / Hearnes Center | |
| November 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 7:30 pm | Home | Auburn | Columbia, Mo. / Hearnes Center | |