University of Missouri
7-2
LSU
3-4
No. 17 Mizzou Volleyball Triumphant over LSU in Spring Opener, 3-2
1/29/2021 9:40:00 PM | Volleyball
Tigers improve to 3-0 in five set matches this season
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 17 Mizzou Volleyball (7-2) took part in a five-set battle Friday evening in its spring 2021 season opener, ultimately coming out on top against LSU, 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 19-25, 15-9).
After the visiting Tigers evened the match at two apiece with a fourth set victory, Mizzou came back firing with a 5-0 run to start the fifth and final set. The host Tigers' offense was led by senior OH Kylie Deberg and sophomore OH Anna Dixon on Friday, as each put down 20-plus kills.
It marked Deberg's fifth match this season with 20-plus kills and 17th-such occurrence of her outstanding Mizzou career. Dixon's 20 kill performance marked a new season high, while falling only one short of her career high.
Redshirt Junior S Jaden Newsome tallied her first double-double of the season, following a career-high 48 assists and 11 digs. Sophomore MB Claudia Dillon was fantastic on both sides of the ball for Mizzou, recording a team-best four total blocks and nine kills on .467 hitting.
Anchoring the host Tigers' back row was once again freshman DS Emily Brown, as she recorded a team-high 14 digs. The Lafayette, Indiana, native has now produced double-digit digs in eight-of-nine matches this season and has reeled off 10-plus digs in seven consecutive matches overall.
#ShowMe Top Performers vs. LSU
- Deberg: 24 kills on .305 hitting, 2 aces, 7 digs, 1 solo block, 3 total blocks
- Dixon: 20 kills on .349 hitting, 9 digs
- Newsome: 48 assists, 11 digs, 4 kills, 2 total blocks
- Dillon: 9 kills on .467 hitting, 1 solo blocks, 4 total blocks
- Brown: 14 digs, 2 assists
- Kenna Sauer: 4 kills, 2 aces, 1 assist, 4 digs, 1 solo block, 3 total blocks
Hear From Head Coach Joshua Taylor
On Friday's spring opener inside Hearnes…
"First off, it was really great to be back inside Hearnes and playing volleyball again. It's definitely a little weird playing volleyball in January and looking ahead to a brand-new spring season, but we're incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity. I think you saw some rust by both teams overall tonight, as we haven't been in live action since November. There were momentum changes just like any other match and I'm proud of how our team battled the whole way through. Especially in that fifth and final set, we came out determined and focused and put LSU in a hole right away. We definitely can work on some things tomorrow leading into our series finale against the Tigers and we'll be ready for the challenge."
#MIZ Takeaways
- Mizzou improves to 12-4 all-time against LSU following Friday's five-set triumph.
- The Tigers from Mid-Missouri have now won nine consecutive matches against LSU dating back to 2014.
- Mizzou's offense saved its best performance for last, tallying 11 kills (zero errors) on an incredible .524 hitting.
- Newsome joins Deberg, redshirt junior S Andrea Fuentes and senior OH Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana as Tigers to garner double-doubles this season.
- Newsome's 48 assists Friday matched Fuentes for the most single-match assists by a Tiger setter this season.
Up Next
Mizzou concludes its two-match series against LSU Saturday evening inside the Hearnes Center. First serve is slated for 8 p.m. CT and the match will broadcast live digitally on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.
Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Volleyball. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (Missouri Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouVB).
