Mizzou volleyball rallies past Arkansas State in four sets
· Yahoo Sports
Mizzou volleyball started slowly but found its rhythm when it mattered most Thursday night, rallying past Arkansas State 15-25, 25-21, 25-23, 26-24 at the Hearnes Center.
The Tigers dropped the opening set after hitting -.034, but coach Dawn Sullivan said her team cleaned things up and came together as the match progressed.
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“I thought these girls battled and came together,” Sullivan said. “A lot of contributors out on the court. We didn’t start the cleanest, is what I’ll say. But then we were able to clean it up.”
Grace O’Reilly and Sierra Dudley provided a major spark for Mizzou in the new 6-2 system. O’Reilly finished with a team-high 13 kills, while Dudley added four kills and 36 assists after entering during the opening set and starting the final three.
The connection between the two was evident throughout the night, especially as O’Reilly found her offensive rhythm.
“Sierra and I just have a really good connection,” O’Reilly said. “I trust her so much, and I know she trusts me as well.”
Sullivan said the duo’s performance was not a surprise. The Tigers planned to use the 6-2 system and trained with the lineup during the week.
“They were always going to play the whole time,” Sullivan said. “Nothing really was going to change there based on what they’ve done throughout the week.”
After Arkansas State took the first set, Mizzou responded in the second behind a 4-0 scoring run fueled by two service aces from Eva Smith. The Tigers eventually evened the match at one set apiece before surviving a tight third set, 25-23.
O’Reilly took over in the third, recording several key kills as Mizzou built a 21-16 advantage. Arkansas State fought back to pull within one point, but the Tigers held on before Dudley delivered the set-winning kill.
The fourth set followed a similar script. Arkansas State led 20-15 before Mizzou stormed back, eventually tying the score at 22. Kimani Johnson and Smith combined for a block to make it 24-24 before consecutive Arkansas State attack errors gave the Tigers the victory.
Dudley said the message after the opening set was simple: stop worrying about the opponent and focus on playing Mizzou volleyball.
“We just wanted to focus on ourselves more,” Dudley said. “We need to play like Mizzou. We need to keep it fast-paced. We need to be scrappy as heck.”
Mizzou’s win came against an Arkansas State team that pushed the Tigers to five sets twice last season. This time, the Tigers found a way to finish the job in four.