Mizzou volleyball and its road woes continued as the Tigers could not carry its momentum from its Southeastern Conference opener into Friday night, falling to Ole Miss 3-1 at the Gillom Center. The Tigers dropped the first two sets 25-20 and 25-22 before forcing a fourth set with a 25-20 victory, but Ole Miss closed the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth.
Paige Felder led Missouri offensively with 13 kills on 28 attacks, hitting .321 for the match. Grace O’Reilly added 11 kills and hit .192, while
Kimani Johnson and Lydia Stahley each finished with seven kills. Lauren Larkin contributed five kills and hit .300 while adding two service aces.
The Tigers had opportunities early but struggled to consistently turn their attacks into points. Missouri hit .212 as a team with 45 kills and 20 errors, while Ole Miss finished with 47 kills and a .216 hitting percentage. The Rebels also held an advantage at the net, recording nine total blocks to Missouri’s five.
Missouri opened the match with a strong offensive first set, hitting .435 with 12 kills and only two errors. Ole Miss, however, answered with 13 kills and a .346 hitting percentage to take the opening frame 25-20.
The second set became another back and forth battle, with Missouri producing 16 kills, its highest total of the match in a single set. Felder and Johnson each recorded four kills in the frame, but Ole Miss limited its mistakes with only one attack error and held off the Tigers 25-22.
Missouri responded in the third set by turning to its defense and forcing Ole Miss into mistakes. The Tigers held the Rebels to a .000 hitting percentage, with Ole Miss recording nine kills and nine errors. Missouri took advantage behind nine kills of its own, including multiple contributions from Felder, O’Reilly and Larkin, to extend the match.
The fourth set remained close before Ole Miss created separation late. Missouri committed eight attack errors in the frame and finished with its lowest offensive efficiency of the night, hitting .000 on 31 attempts. Ole Miss produced 10 kills and closed the match with a .065 hitting percentage to secure the 3-1 victory.
Ainoah Cruz anchored Missouri defensively with 19 digs, while Nina Mandovic recorded 21 assists. Sierra Dudley added 20 assists and five digs, giving the Tigers production from multiple spots throughout the match.
The loss gives Missouri its first SEC defeat of the season and leaves the Tigers needing to regroup quickly before their next conference matchup, Sunday against LSU.
