Mizzou volleyball spent Friday evening living in the fifth set.
Twice, the Tigers found themselves one set away from a victory. Twice, they came up short.
Missouri dropped a pair of five-set thrillers to Dayton and Toledo at the Bowling Green/Toledo Invitational on Friday, falling to Dayton 3-2 before Toledo handed the Tigers another 3-2 defeat later in the day.
The results leave Mizzou with two more losses to absorb, but the two matches offered plenty for the Tigers to build on as they head into the final
match of the weekend.
Against Dayton, Mizzou battled back from an early deficit to take control of the third set and force a deciding frame. Grace O’Reilly and Kimani Johnson powered the offense, with both recording career highs in kills.
O’Reilly finished with 19 kills while hitting .419. Johnson added 18 kills and hit .421. Freshman Maizy Agnello also continued her emergence, recording a career-high 11 kills and six digs.
The Tigers had their chances late.
After Dayton took the fourth set 25-22, Mizzou opened the fifth with enough offense to put itself in position. Kills from Paige Felder, Johnson and Agnello helped Missouri build a lead before the Flyers erased it.
With the score tied 14-14, Dayton scored the final two points to steal the match.
For Mizzou, the loss showed both sides of its current identity. The Tigers had enough offensive firepower to produce a season-high 73 kills, but one late swing was the difference between celebrating and walking away searching for answers.
There was little time to dwell on it.
Toledo presented another five-set opportunity later Friday.
This time, the Tigers had to fight from behind after dropping the opening two sets. Mizzou responded with its best stretch of the match, winning the third set 25-22 before dominating the fourth, 25-14, to force another deciding set.
Paige Felder led the comeback.
The junior outside hitter produced a career-high 16 kills, giving her double-digit kills in six matches this season. Agnello followed her strong performance against Dayton with 10 more kills, becoming another consistent offensive option for the Tigers.
Tia Phinezy also made an impact at the net, recording a season-high six blocks.
But once again, the fifth set proved to be the difference.
Mizzou took the opening point before Toledo quickly created separation. The Rockets built a 6-2 advantage and never surrendered control, eventually taking the fifth 15-10.
Sierra Dudley provided another bright spot, recording her first double-double of the season with 18 assists and 14 digs.
The two losses leave Mizzou with plenty to clean up, but also plenty to carry forward.
The Tigers have now played two consecutive matches that stretched beyond regulation, and in both they showed the ability to respond when momentum shifted against them. Against Toledo, that response came after falling behind 2-0. Against Dayton, Mizzou recovered from an early deficit to take a 2-1 lead.
The problem was finishing.
Two matches. Ten sets. Two fifth-set defeats.
For a team navigating a demanding early-season schedule, Friday offered another lesson in the fine margins separating a win from a loss.
Now, Mizzou gets one final opportunity to leave Bowling Green with a victory.
The Tigers face Bowling Green on Saturday to close the weekend, with another chance to turn a frustrating Friday into something more constructive.
