Mizzou volleyball falls to Ole Miss in four-set road battle
Mizzou Volleyball loses SEC road opener.
The Missouri women's volleyball team suffered a defeat to Ole Miss in a four-set, road matchup at the Gillom Center on Friday night. The Tigers, who had opened their Southeastern Conference season on a high note, struggled to maintain their momentum and fell 3-1. Paige Felder led the offensive charge for Missouri with 13 kills, while Grace O’Reilly added 11 kills.
Kimani Johnson and Lydia Stahley each contributed seven kills. Lauren Larkin delivered five kills and posted a .300 service ace tally. Missouri managed 45 kills but committed 20 errors, while Ole Miss had 47 kills and a .216 hitting percentage. The Rebels dominated at the net, recording nine total blocks compared to Missouri's five.
Missouri opened strong in the first set, hitting .435 with 12 kills and two errors, but Ole Miss responded with 13 kills and a .346 hitting percentage. The second set saw another back and forth battle, with Missouri producing 16 kills before Ole Miss held firm with a single attack error. The third set turned into a defensive battle for Missouri, as they held the Rebels to a .000 hitting percentage and won the frame 25-22.
However, in the fourth set, Ole Miss created separation late, finishing with a .065 hitting percentage and a 25-20 victory. Ainoah Cruz anchored Missouri defensively with 19 digs, while Nina Mandovic delivered 21 assists. Sierra Dudley added 20 assists and five digs to provide production from multiple spots. The loss marks Missouri's first SEC defeat of the season, and the team must now regroup ahead of their upcoming conference matchup against LSU on Sunday.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
