Missouri rallies to beat Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. -- Mizzou volleyball ended its road schedule in fine fashion with a 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-12) win at Ole Miss. The Tigers have 25 victories this season, marking the ninth 25-plus win season in program history.
"We came out a little flat today but credit goes to our ladies for fighting back the remainder of the match," head coach Wayne Kreklow said. "Our defense really stepped up in set two and that really altered Ole Miss' strategy the rest of the way."
Junior Carly Kan (Honolulu, Hawaii) tallied a team-high 20 kills with 25 digs to pace the Tigers on Sunday. It marked the eighth 20-plus kill match and 16th double-double of the year for the Tiger outside hitter.
Mizzou's defense played a big factor all match long, forcing Ole Miss to change up its offensive game plan. The Tigers' 16.5 total blocks against the Rebels was their 17th double-digit block match of the season.
Ole Miss used a balanced attack to take Sunday's opening set. Four Rebels tallied three-plus kills en route to its first set triumph. Senior Regan Peltier (Nixa, Mo.) produced a team-high four kills for Mizzou despite falling behind 1-0.
The Tigers rebounded in the second set, leading by as many as seven points. Ole Miss used a late run to tighten the score but Mizzou ultimately prevailed, 25-20. Kan posted a set-high six kills for the Tigers. Mizzou's defense stepped up in the second set as well, recording 6.5 total blocks to bring its total to 11.5.
Mizzou and Ole Miss each struggled on offense in set three as each squad hit below .100 collectively. However, the set wasn't short on dramatics as the two teams needed extra points to decide the winner. Kan once again paced the Tigers' offense with nine third set kills and provided big points to clinch the set.
Set four was dominated by the Tigers from the beginning. Mizzou held a lead as high as 12 points en route to its match-clinching set victory. The Tigers' final block of the match sealed their regular season road finale victory.
Redshirt sophomore Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) and Peltier each finished with double-digit kills to round out Mizzou's offense. Sophomore Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) posted a team-high 30 assists for the Tigers, marking her fifth 30-plus assist match of the year.
Mizzou returns to the Hearnes Center next week to close out its 2015 regular season schedule. The Tigers welcome Texas A&M to town on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and two days later host South Carolina on Friday, Nov. 27. Both matches will broadcast live on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN. First serve for each contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT).