The Mizzou volleyball team is riding high with four straight wins, pushing themselves soundly into the field in the vast majority of NCAA Bracketology predictions. In addition, the Tigers are slowly climbing their way up the SEC standings, currently tied-8th in the conference. Mizzou is looking to move into the top 8 for a single bye and perhaps the top 4 to earn a double bye in the conference tournament.
But for that to happen, it starts with securing a pair of wins against South Carolina and Georgia
at the Hearnes Center this weekend. Here’s what you need to know heading into those matchups and what Mizzou needs to do to keep this winning streak alive
Columbia Showdown
First up is the South Carolina Gamecocks from the OTHER Columbia, or Columbia (L)East, as Josh Matejka likes to call it. The Gamecocks have struggled throughout SEC play, holding a 1-7 record in conference play. Currently the team is coming on the losing end of back-to-back sweeps at the hands of Mississippi State and Alabama.
In those losses, South Carolina was outmatched on the offensive end. The Gamecocks hit above .200 from the field in only one of those six sets, while their opponents finished above .200 in all six. Across the board, South Carolina lost the kill battle in these two matches combined 84-63. Looking back to the team’s only SEC win against Arkansas, the advantage for the Gamecocks came at the net with a 12-7 advantage in blocks.
Leading the team on the defensive front is middle blocker Emily Beeker, a transfer from Tennessee. Beeker is first in blocks on the Gamecocks with 72, tying her career high of nine in the win against Arkansas. She has been a major contributor in the offense as well, racking up somewhere between 5-9 kills a game for a total of 93 thus far this season. If Mizzou hopes to make quick work of South Carolina, they need to find a way around Beeker.
Dawg Fight
One of the toughest games left on Mizzou’s schedule is a home matchup with Georgia. The Bulldogs are 5-3 in SEC play, riding a five-game winning streak. This included wins last week against Mississippi State 3-2 and Alabama 3-2.
In those matches, Georgia won with its offense, taking the kill battle 131-122 across both wins. As a whole the Bulldogs were efficient with their offense, consistently hitting over .300. In fact, they had one set against Alabama where they had a hitting percentage of .619!
Leading the Georgia offense is outside hitter Bianna Muoneke, racking up 258 kills thus far this season with a .279 hitting percentage. She set a new career-high against Mississippi State with 29 kills. Outside of her offense, Muoneke is a major defense contributor with 157 kills plus a solid 29 blocks. If Mizzou hopes to bottle up the Georgia attack, it starts with minimizing Muoneke’s role.
Player to Watch: Maya Sands
In a week where consistency is key, seems like a perfect time to talk about Maya Sands, widely considered as the most consistent player on the roster. Sands has continued her claim as one of the best liberos in the country, recording double-digit digs in all but two matches this season. That consistency has transition into excellence, recording 15-plus digs in each of her last seven matches.
Outside of her work as an elite defender, Sands has been an extremely valuable part of the Tigers’ serve. She currently leads Mizzou in aces on the season with 25. A big part of that came from her four-ace outing in a recent win against LSU.
As Mizzou has continued to search for its identity, Sands has been a dependable member of both the locker room and on the court.
Sands and the rest of the Tigers return to SEC play with a showdown against South Carolina at 6 p.m. on Friday from the Hearnes Center. The match will be available to watch on SEC Network+ through the ESPN app.
