Mizzou sweeps Texas State, advances to second round of NCAA Tournament

DALLAS, Texas (KMIZ)

No. 25 Mizzou Volleyball is bound for the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers swept Texas State in the opening match of the NCAA Dallas Regional. With Thursday's win, the program has now reached round two of the Big Dance in nine straight tournament appearances.

MU sparked a pair of rallies in the first frame to put them in the driver's seat. After starting the match on a 6-2 scoring run, head coach Dawn Sullivan's squad strung together a 9-2 rally to gain a nine-point advantage over the Bobcats in set one, leading to a 25-16 win.

While Mizzou was in full control in set one, the second frame was back-and-forth. Neither the Tigers or the Bobcats held a lead larger than two points for most of the set, but MU ignited another scoring run to pull away from Texas State. Janet deMarrais helped start a scoring run with back-to-back kills, propelling her team to a 9-2 rally. The Texas native ended the night with nine kills, third-most on the team.

The Bobcats did not make it easy for Mizzou to complete the sweep. Texas State led by as many as seven points, building a 15-8 advantage over the seventh-seeded Tigers. However, Mychael Vernon sparked a comeback, posting three kills in a 6-0 scoring run to pull her team within a point of tying the set. MU and Texas State were tied 20-20 in the home stretch, but Sullivan's group outscored the Bobcats 5-2 to seal the sweep.

Vernon posted a game-high 20 kills in her NCAA Tournament debut, followed by Jordan Iliff (11) and deMarrais (9). Defensively, three different Tigers posted double-digit digs, including Maya Sands (20), Kiaraliz Perez Catala (11) and Marina Crownover (11). Collectively, Mizzou finished with 20 more kills than Texas State and posted 13 more digs than the Bobcats.

Up next - Mizzou has its eyes set on reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2017 season. The Tigers will face the winner of No 10. SMU and Wichita State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.