Mizzou Volleyball survives five set nailbiter at Ole Miss

The Tigers took down the Rebels in Oxford for the first time since the 2020-21 season

Ole Miss has been Mizzou Volleyball’s kryptonite in recent years, having won five of its last six matches against the Tigers. Three sets into Mizzou’s match in Oxford tonight, it looked like the Rebels might have the team’s number once more with a 2-1 lead.

But Dawn Sullivan’s squad instead dug deep and battled back for a close five set victory (25-19, 21-25, 16-25, 25-16, 15-11) to keep their SEC title hopes alive.

Ole Miss (16-10, 6-8) took an early two point lead off a 4-0 run featuring three errors by the Tigers, but Mizzou quickly responded to retake the advantage with a Mychael Vernon kill, 12-11. The two sides went back-and-forth siding out until three straight points for the Rebels, 18-15, prompted a Dawn Sullivan timeout.

The Tigers (19-6, 10-3) came out a different team, going on a 9-0 run including two service aces by Kiaraliz Perez Catala to force set point and then taking the opening frame 25-19 on Mychael Vernon’s seventh kill of the set.

Set two began as a tight matchup, 12-12, before six straight points by the Rebels put them ahead 18-12.

Dawn Sullivan’s squad fought its way back to a two point deficit, 22-20, but a 3-1 run by Ole Miss to close out the frame gave the hosts a 25-21 victory to even the match.

That momentum carried over to set three as the Rebels went on an early 5-1 run. Another 6-0 Ole Miss run soon after made it 14-7, then the team’s third six point streak of the match put them ahead by double digits.

Mizzou went on a late 3-0 run, cutting the deficit to eight, but Emma Ammerman’s kill gave the Rebels a 25-16 third set win to move one set away from the upset.

Dawn Sullivan chose to make some changes after this frame, including putting Sierra Dudley in at setter for Marina Crownover, and the Tigers came out with a renewed focus in set four.

Mizzou quickly took a 6-2 lead in the fourth frame off a Jordan Iliff kill, and a 4-0 run with two kills by Janet deMarrais gave the team a six point advantage. Ole Miss cut into the lead, 15-13, but five straight points (four of them on attack errors by the hosts) for the Tigers put this set out of reach.

Sullivan’s squad sealed the set four win, 25-16, on an Iliff service ace to send the team to a fifth set for the second straight match. This time, the Tigers jumped out to the early advantage with consecutive blocks to open the frame.

Mizzou jumped out to a 5-1 lead before a 4-0 Rebels run tied it up. But the Tigers responded with a 4-1 streak featuring two Iliff kills, taking a three point lead and never giving it up.

Two more kills by Iliff sparked a 3-0 run, 12-8, and the team held off a late surge by Ole Miss to take set five 15-11 on a Vernon kill.

Mizzou struggled mightily on the attack in the first three sets, hitting below .175 in each frame and combining for 20 attack errors. But the Tigers finally found their stride in the final two sets, hitting above .275 in each with only six combined attack errors.

The struggles over the initial three sets were a combination of mistakes by Sullivan’s squad, including the 20 attack errors and seven service errors, and a struggling defense in the second and third sets.

Mizzou completely flipped the script over the final two sets, and a lot of the credit goes to Sierra Dudley. The 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team member, who was supplanted by Marina Crownover for the starting job earlier this season, returned as Crownover had an off night and performed like nothing had changed.

She ended the match with 18 assists, 10 digs and two blocks, most of which came during the final two frames. During a night where many of the Tigers’ most reliable starters struggled across the board, this team’s improved depth made a big difference.

So did the blocking. Sullivan’s squad finished with 11 total blocks, including four each from middle blockers Colleen Finney and Regan Haith.

Mizzou has now recorded 11 or more blocks in three straight matches. Those are also the only matches this season where the Tigers have recorded double-digit blocks.

This statistic, and the 24 attack errors by the Rebels, helped Mizzou hold its hosts to a .167 hitting percentage, including percentages below .140 in the first and final two frames.

Tonight’s win is an asset to the team’s tournament resume, counting as a Quad 1 victory against the 35th-ranked team in the RPI. The victory also keeps Mizzou’s hopes of hosting the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament alive.

The Tigers will likely need to win their final three matches (including a showdown with #12 Kentucky at Hearnes) to earn a split of the SEC title and a top-16 seed. Mizzou faces a tall task, but Dawn Sullivan’s squad has kept itself in the chase.

Now, the Tigers have a chance to break the 20 win mark for the first time since 2019 in their match against Mississippi St. on Sunday. The action begins at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+.