With middle blocker Lauren Larkin asserting her authority at the net and outside hitter Paige Felder delivering heavy contact on the pins, Missouri Volleyball closed out the Mizzou Invitational in sweeping fashion Saturday night.
The Tigers defeated Idaho in three sets at Hearnes Center 25-18, 25-21, 25-12, capping off a flawless opening weekend without dropping a single set. This performance marks the first time since 2011 that Missouri has won the first nine sets of a season.
For head coach Dawn
Sullivan, this tournament carried an extra layer of emotion. Standing on the opposite side of the net for the Vandals was her daughter, Sarah Sullivan, a senior outside hitter for Idaho.
“Having her in the space and family’s everything to me,” Sullivan said. “It’s probably why our team is so tight, making sure the people that are part of our program, they know what family is and she’s my family, right? And so it’s my heart.”
Beyond the family reunion on the floor, the match demonstrated the deep, adaptable roster Sullivan has built going into her third year at Mizzou.
Larkin set the standard early. The Utah State transfer did not just state her case on the stat sheet, where she finished with a game-high 10 kills without an error on a staggering .625 hitting percentage, she commanded the floor. Larkin played with constant vocal presence, calling out plays before the serve and supporting her teammates. Meanwhile, Felder provided the brutal downhill force, hammering down shots that kept Idaho’s team constantly on their toes.
“When [there’s] efficient communication, everyone’s more efficient, Eva Smith said. “And it makes things a lot more clear and just better. And it’s also really helpful, like as a decoy, so that they’re always watching the middle. So it’s important to be loud and have a presence.”
In the opening set, that pin production proved overwhelming for the Vandals. After trading early points, Mizzou broke away midway through the frame, using a Ceylin Kuyan service ace and sharp net play from Smith to build an 18-13 cushion. Felder then took over down the stretch, ripping back-to-back kills before finishing off an Idaho attack error to secure the 25-18 opening set victory.
That depth was put to the ultimate test in a tense, grind-it-out second set. Inside Hearnes Center, the energy shifted abruptly as Idaho came out swinging, turning aggressive blocking into an early 6-3 advantage. With the Tigers suddenly out of rhythm and struggling to pass, the gym grew loud once again.
Recognizing the shift, Sullivan made a bold move, pulling starting setter Nina Mandovic and right-side hitter Maca Lobaglio to completely re-engineer Mizzou’s system. In came senior setter Sierra Dudley and fifth-year senior Grace O’Reilly.
It was a high-stakes tactical gamble. Swapping out the playmakers who had orchestrated the offense all weekend meant asking new leaders to jump into a cold game.
The move instantly steadied the floor. Dudley brought rapid-fire decision-making, while O’Reilly offered an immediate spark, ripping seven kills on a .417 clip. Yet Idaho refused to fade. The Vandals clawed back late, capitalizing on a Mizzou service error to shrink the gap to an uncomfortable 22-20.
Soon after, Dudley went straight to freshman middle blocker Eva Smith for a clutch kill, before O’Reilly and Smith rose together at the net to turn back Idaho’s final attempt with a set-ending block to lock up the 25-21 victory.
“The way they showed up, and they didn’t really get rattled,” Sullivan said. They were just really consistent in how they played those first sets. And obviously, they lived up to another third set.”
Mizzou carried that momentum directly into the third set, surging out to a massive lead behind heavy swinging from freshman Maizy Agnello. With the match well in hand, Sullivan emptied her bench, allowing freshman middle blocker Millie Bauer to hammer home her first career collegiate kill before Agnello put down match point to seal the 25-12 blow.
Defensively, senior libero Ainoah Cruz anchored the backcourt with 11 digs, taking on the full workload with sophomore libero Zoey Matias Lopez sitting out today’s match, while senior Kaylen Rush provided a spark off the bench during the pivotal Set 2 serving run.
A perfect opening weekend has proved just how deep and adaptable these young Tigers can be. Now, Missouri turns its attention to Tuesday night at Hearnes Center, where No. 25 Oregon arrives to hand the Tigers their first major benchmark test of the season.
