Missouri volleyball continues on with its winning streak, as they dominated in four sets (23-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-18) over Georgia on Sunday afternoon.
After seeing their three-match sweep streak snapped in a tightly contested opening frame, the Tigers (13-8) overall and (6-3) in conference play adjusted at the net to overpower the Bulldogs over the final three sets. Missouri knocked out a total of 12 blocks and hit .254 while holding Georgia to a .188 hitting efficiency.
Kimani Johnson and Paige Felder
tied for the team high with 13 kills apiece, while setter Nina Mandovic orchestrated the attack with 27 assists and 13 digs. Ainoah Cruz anchored the backline with a total of 12 digs on the day.
Late surge flips the momentum
The third frame was back-and-forth for both teams, featuring five ties and a huge late lead change. Georgia started off on a 4-1 run led by a service ace and kills from Bianna Muoneke. Mizzou responded behind the net play of Felder, who delivered consecutive kills to pull within 4-3. Grace O’Reilly and Felder continued to answer for the Tigers, keeping the score knotted at 7-7 and 8-8.
The Bulldogs made a mid-set push, capitalizing on four Mizzou errors during a 6-1 run to build a commanding 14-9 lead and force a Missouri timeout. Mizzou came out strong out of the break, with kills from Lauren Larkin and Ceylin Kuyan, alongside a key block from O’Reilly and Larkin that leveled the score at 17-17 to force a Georgia timeout.
Georgia briefly reclaimed with three kills in a row at 21-19, but Mizzou responded with a decisive 5-1 run. Following a kill by Kuyan, Eva Smith and Mandovic combined for a block on Muoneke to tie the score at 22-22. On the next rally, Felder buried a kill off a set from Cruz to give Missouri the lead at 23-22. A three-person block by Felder, Smith, and Mandovic brought Mizzou to set point at 24-22 before a Georgia attack error finalized the 25-23 victory.
Opening frame stumbles late
Missouri quickly established its presence at the net early in the first set, taking a 2-0 lead on a combined block from Felder and Smith. Georgia responded with a 5-1 run, led by a service ace to take a 5-3 lead. The teams traded blows through the middle of the frame until Johnson ignited a 3-0 run with three back-to-back kills, giving Mizzou an 18-17 edge and forcing a Georgia timeout.
Out of the break, Mizzou extended its cushion to 21-17 following a block by Larkin and Johnson. However, the Bulldogs staged a late 7-1 surge, capitalizing on two service aces and consecutive Mizzou timeouts to seize a 24-22 set point. Johnson erased the first set point with a clutch kill, but Georgia countered with a kill from Muoneke to claim the opener 25-23.
Tigers Answer with dominant run
Mizzou erased any lingering frustration from Set 1, coming out strong with an immediate 3-1 lead by Larkin and Johnson. After an attack error from Georgia, Sierra Dudley added a service ace, making it 5-2. Mizzou’s block began dominating, as Larkin and Grace O’Reilly combined for a wall at the net to build a 10-6 lead.
Leading 12-11, the Tigers broke out with a 6-0 run, led by kills from Maizy Agnello, Johnson (2) and a key service ace from Zoey-Matias Lopez. Mandovic served up another key ace, and Felder continued to dominate, pushing the margin to 18-11. Mizzou continued to press, with back-to-back kills from O’Reilly and Agnello to reach set point at 24-15, before O’Reilly put away the final kill of the set to level the match with a 25-15 victory.
Closing it out in the fourth
Missouri took early control of the fourth set and never looked back. After a 2-2 tie, a Smith solo block and a Felder service ace sparked a 5-1 run to put Mizzou up 7-3. The Tigers extended their lead to 12-7 following consecutive kills from Kuyan and a strike from Johnson.
Georgia trimmed an eight-point deficit down to 20-15, but Mizzou responded out of a timeout with a Larkin kill and a Mandovic service ace. Leading 23-18, Felder buried a kill to bring up match point, setting up Johnson to meet Muoneke at the tape for a match-clinching solo block to lock up the 25-18 win.
Key match stats
Mizzou outblocked Georgia 12–8, led by seven blocks from Smith and three each from Johnson, Felder and O’Reilly. The Tigers had a match high of 52 digs, while Georgia had 50.
Johnson and Felder co-led the offense with 13 kills apiece, while O’Reilly added nine kills on a team-high .350 hitting percentage. Mandovic and Dudley combined for 41 assists (27 and 14) to run Mizzou’s two-setter system. The Bulldogs had a high of 13 service errors, while Mizzou only had six.
What’s Next
Missouri travels to Lexington to face Kentucky at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 at Memorial Coliseum. This will hopefully provide them their next away victory, before heading back home to play Tennessee.
