Missouri Tigers volleyball reaches 9th straight Round 2 match at NCAA Tournament

The 25th-ranked Missouri Tigers volleyball team advanced to its ninth straight appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, sweeping Texas State in an opening-round match at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.

Seeded No. 7 in the tourney’s Pittsburgh Regional, Mizzou (21-8) defeated Texas State (22-9) three sets to none: 25-16, 25-22, 25-22.

The Bobcats were the Sun Belt Conference champions and won three consecutive matches to win their league tournament. But they were held in check by MU throughout the evening.

After the first set, Mizzou had held Texas State to a .063 hitting percentage. On the flip side, the Tigers were firing on all cylinders on offense from the start, with a .387 hitting percentage after the opening frame.

In the third set, the Tigers clawed their way back from an 11-6 deficit. After taking a 24-22 lead, Mizzou’s Mychael Vernon recorded her final kill as the match-winning point.

“I just love how gritty they were coming back from behind in that third set,” Tigers coach Dawn Sullivan said. “I just think that represents who we are. We’re so relentless, really intentional and they fight every single day.”

Sophomore Marina Crownover, who has passed the 1,000 assist mark in her Mizzou career, led the team with 40 assists in the match. Vernon led MU in kills, with 20.

The Tigers will play No. 2 seed SMU, a winner Thursday against Wichita State, at 7 p.m. Friday in Dallas.

Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 9:25 PM.