Mizzou volleyball failed to capitalize on back-to-back match points, losing to Ole Miss 25-20, 21-25, 22-25, 25-17, 14-16 in the 2nd Round of the SEC Tournament. With this loss, the Tigers are sure to drop out of the Top 50 of the RPI and are likely to miss the NCAA Tournament as a result.
The only advantage that Ole Miss had in the match was a slight 65-62 edge in kills. There was a struggle
when it came to offensive depth, as only two Tigers finished with double-digit kills.
Caylen Alexander had a generational performance despite the loss, racking up 32 kills with a .368 hitting percentage. She finished with a double-double thanks to 16 digs on the defensive side. Tyrah Ariail was the other key offensive contributor with 13 kills and a .321 hitting percentage.
Here’s how the match played out:
A late push helped Mizzou take the first set 25-20. It was a back-and-forth battle early on, with eight ties and three lead-changes in the set. A block by Alexander gave Mizzou the 15-14 advantage heading into the media timeout. A 4-1 run coming out of the media break helped the Tigers leave Ole Miss in the dust. While both teams struggled with the attack, Mizzou did a better job at the net with a 13-10 edge in kills and 3-1 in blocks. Alexander led the way with five kills while hitting .385 with no attacking errors and the aforementioned block.
Ole Miss flipped the script, going on a 4-0 run to win the second set 25-21. This set was even more competitive than the first with 10 ties. Both teams started to find an offensive rhythm, finishing with a higher attacking percentage than the previous set. The Ole Miss offense was better, winning the kill battle 15-10 while only committing five attacking errors. The Rebels’ Shayla Meyer made the difference with nine kills in the second set; including the last four. Alexander and Ariail were the two Tigers keeping it close with three kills apiece.
Janet deMarrais left the match early in the second set after coming down awkwardly on her left leg. She would not return for the remainder of the match.
The Rebels took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-22 set win. Mizzou opened the set ahead with a 5-0 run, but Ole Miss slowly chipped away to bring it level. A 5-0 Rebel run gave them a 15-13 lead. The Tigers kept it close, tying the set once again at 22. However, three straight Ole Miss kills gave them the set win. The two teams were almost identical, but the Rebels scored three extra points with one more kill and two more assists. Alexander added another eight kills in the set to push her into double digits.
Mizzou closed the fourth set on a 7-1 run to win 25-17 and force a winner-take-all fifth. The Tigers held a narrow lead for most of the set, but really pulled away with some crucial kills down the stretch. In that set Mizzou registered a match-best 18 kills compared to 14 for Ole Miss. Alexander once again led the Tiger offense with nine kills in the fourth set. Ariail added six kills of her own as a major supplemental piece.
Ole Miss won the fifth and final set 16-14 to take the match. The set was back-and-forth, featuring nine ties and five lead changes. The set was tied at 12 when the Tigers scored two points to force the Ole Miss timeout. The Rebels fought back with a 4-0 run to switch the tide of the match. Alexander added another seven kills in the final set just for good measure.
This could be the rocky end that is fitting for a season that has been extremely up-and-down for Mizzou volleyball. Their fate now rests in the hands of the selection committee with an outside chance at the Big Dance for the third consecutive season.
