No. 24 Mizzou’s comeback bid falls short against No. 12 Kentucky
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
No. 24 Mizzou Volleyball ignited a late rally but fell two sets short of completing a reverse sweep of No. 12 Kentucky. The Wildcats ended the match on a 16-4 scoring run to stall MU's comeback effort in the fourth set, handing the Tigers their third loss in four games.
After a back-and-forth battle in the early stages of the first frame, Kentucky pulled away with an 11-2 scoring rally to take the set 25-19. Then, the momentum of that scoring run carried over to the second frame. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers 25-14 in set two, outscoring MU 19-8 to end that frame.
However, Mizzou sparked some life into the Hearnes Center in the third set. The Tigers used an 8-2 rally to take control of that frame, riding that momentum to force a fourth frame 25-23.
MU stayed in the driver's seat beyond the halfway point of set four, leading by as many as six points and grabbing a 16-10 advantage over Kentucky. However, the Tigers fell short of forcing a winner-take-all fifth set, following a lengthy scoring run from the Wildcats.
Three different Mizzou Tigers posted double-digit kills, including Jordan Iliff (14), Mychael Vernon (13) and Regan Haith (11). Vernon also surpassed 1,500 career kills during Wednesday's contest.
Collectively, Kentucky recorded the most kills (61) and service aces (10) in the match while Mizzou finished with more blocks (8) than the Wildcats. Four different MU players were given credit for at least three blocks, led by Haith with a game-high four of them. Maya Sands also delivered all three of MU's service aces in the match and led the team with 14 digs.
Up next - Mizzou closes out the regular season against Auburn on Saturday, Nov. 30. MU's senior night matchup is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m.
