Mizzou volleyball sent off to first Sweet 16 since 2017
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou volleyball team left for the program's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017 in style on Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers were sent off with cheers and high fives from members of MU Athletics, including men's basketball coach Dennis Gates and Athletic Director Laird Veatch.
Head coach Dawn Sullivan and company will catch a flight to Pittsburgh, Pa. for a meeting with the third-seeded Kentucky Wildcats.
It will be the third time in the 2024 campaign that Mizzou has matched up with the Wildcats. The first two meetings came in the regular season. The Tigers lost both of those matches, getting swept in Lexington in Oct. and losing in four sets at home in Nov. Despite the couple of losses to the Cats, Coach Sullivan said she is excited to see Kentucky again in the Sweet 16.
"I kind of love it to me. You know, you don't have to do as much prep work," she said. "We know that team. Again, when we walked in the gym last few days, it's just all been all about us. How do we play at a high level? How do we pass at a high level? How do we serve at a high level and just be us? That's it."
Mizzou beat both Texas State and second-seeded SMU in the first and second rounds, respectively, to get to the third round. Sullivan said she thought her team put up dominant serving performances in those games and wants to build on that, moving further into the NCAA Tournament. She added the key will be continuing to drive the ball and get teams out of system.
The Tigers know it is going to take some really good volleyball to keep advancing in the Big Dance.
"We'll have to go back and serve really tough, be able to defend [Kentucky] and their very offensive team, right, but then just for us offensively, I think we have a great offense side on our side too. So, pass at a high level and just be really aggressive at the net."
Tuesday's sendoff brought lots of smiles to the faces of Tiger volleyball, which is one of the reasons that Sullivan wanted to return to the midwest.
"The people here are unique," she said. "They they make you feel loved and cared for."
In her second season at the helm in Columbia, Sullivan has led the Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. She brought this program back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and now she will look to take it one step further.
Mizzou has not made a trip to the Elite Eight since 2005. A win over Kentucky will put them there.
First serve between the Tigers and the Wildcats is set for 12 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec. 12.
