COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri volleyball team (4-3) swept (25-13, 25-15, 25-18) Kansas City (1-6) in the first match of the Mizzou Invitational Friday morning at the Hearnes Center.
Mizzou will continue its home-opening Mizzou Invitational, taking on UT Martin tonight (Friday) with first serve set to begin at 6:30 p.m., CT.
Graduate outside hitter Mychael Vernon took charge throughout the match with 11 kills and seven digs on a .524 hitting percentage.
Janet deMarrais chipped in eight kills and four digs while Colleen Finney followed with seven kills (.462) and three blocks.
Jordan Iliff (.600) and Morgan Isenberg (.714) both offered six kills to solidify the first win of the Mizzou Invitational.
Marina Crownover posted a career-best two aces along with 17 assists. Sierra Dudley notched 15 assists and two digs in the start.
Junior libero Maya Sands totaled 16 digs to lead the Tigers’ defense.
FIRST SET (25-13 Mizzou, Mizzou leads 1-0)
Mizzou kicked off the match with a strong 5-1 lead featuring kills by Iliff and Vernon.
Two aces by Regan Haith and Vernon advanced the lead to 7-2.
A 3-0 run forced a Kansas City timeout at 10-3. Kills by Iliff and Finney aided the run.
Kansas City responded, cutting the score to 11-7 with an ace and a pair of kills.
Sierra Dudley chimed in with a pair of assists to set up kills for Finney and Vernon pushing the lead to 13-7.
The Tigers then grew their advantage to 19-10.
Crownover notched a pair of aces contributing to a 5-0 run that brought the score to set point (24-12).
A kill by Morgan Isenberg capped the initial set bringing the final score to 25-13.
The opening frame starred Finney with three kills on a .750 hitting percentage. Iliff and Vernon also each had three on a .600 clip.
Mizzou hit .619 over the opening frame, finishing with a season-best .442 over the match.
SECOND SET (25-15 Mizzou, Mizzou leads 2-0)
The Tigers opened the second set with a 2-0 lead featuring an Iliff kill.
An impressive diving get by Sands helped the Tigers extend the lead to 4-1.
deMarrais chipped in a kill and Iliff brought on an ace to force a Kansas City timeout at 6-3.
Kansas City gained some traction and took an 8-6 lead following a 5-0 run.
The Tigers refused to back down, going on a 6-0 run highlighted by three kills from Vernon to pull ahead 12-8.
Isenberg contributed an assertive kill that commenced a Mizzou 4-0 run. Vernon and Iliff chipped in kills, as well, to move the lead to 17-10.
The Tigers brought on another 5-0 run (23-13) with Finney notching two kills during the sequence. Franco and Crownover both chimed in with kills to aid the run.
Another Franco kill brought about set point, and a Vernon kill secured the frame at 25-15.
Vernon tallied five kills over the second while Iliff and deMarrais each had three.
THIRD SET (25-18 Mizzou, Mizzou wins 3-0)
The teams traded points at the start of the set, with a kill by Franco to bring the score to an even 3-3 early.
Neither team scored more than consecutive points in the opening as the teams continued battling for the lead.
The Tigers gained momentum garnering a strong 6-0 run that advanced the score to 9-5. deMarrais offered back-to-back aces while serving during the run.
Kansas City fought back attempting to close in on the lead, but the Tigers kept them at bay with a score of 16-11. Both Vernon and deMarrais provided a pair of kills, each contributing to keeping the lead.
An ace by Sarah White increased the Tiger lead to 17-11.
An Isenberg kill and an ace by Iliff prompted a KC timeout. Isenberg added another kill, contributing to a 3-0 run that took the score to 22-15.
The Roos fought back, but the Tigers refused to make space bringing the final score of the set to 25-18.
MATCH NOTES
- Marina Crownover posted a career-best two aces to go with 17 assists.
- Mychael Vernon notched 11 kills, seven digs and two blocks on a .524 hitting percentage.
- Libero Maya Sands recorded 16 digs and an assist in the win.
- Janet deMarrais added eight kills and four digs for the Tigers.
- Jordan Iliff notched six kills and four digs on a .600 clip.
- Morgan Isenberg added six digs and a block on a .714 hitting percentage.
- Naomi Franco posted four kills (.600) and a block in the Tiger win.
- Colleen Finney collected seven kills on a .462 clip with three blocks.
- Sierra Dudley tallied 15 assists and two digs.
- Tatum Longnecker recorded two digs and an assist in her Mizzou debut after redshirting in 2023.
- Freshman Claire Morrissey made her debut for the Tigers. She totaled three attacks.
- Mizzou hit .619 over the opening frame, finishing with a season-best .442 over the match. The Tigers last hit over .400 against Auburn on Oct. 16, 2022 (.405).
- The Tigers posted a season-high nine aces.
- The 3-0 sweep was the third for Mizzou in 2024.
- Missouri now leads all-time series against Kansas City, 32-5.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Missouri next faces UT Martin tonight (Friday) in match two of the Mizzou Invitational.
- First serve is set for 6:30 p.m., CT at Hearnes Center.
- The Friday evening contest against UT Martin features a Welcome to the Zou student tailgate and t-shirt giveaway, while supplies last.
- The 2024 Tigers will sign autographs following the match.
- Tickets for each match of the 2024 Mizzou Invitational are $5 and can be purchased online.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
- For all the latest information on Mizzou Volleyball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
