Mizzou volleyball players dominate Texas State in first round of NCAA Tournament

The Mizzou volleyball team defeated Texas State 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 on Thursday to punch its ticket to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bobcats’ good defense and many mistakes were one of the biggest factors in this game. Texas State batted just .063 in the first set and .080 in the match with 20 team errors.

The Tigers were on a roll, led by graduate transfer Michael Vernon. They got three points off a Vernon kill and the other three points off a Bobcat miss to jump out to a 6-2 lead to start the set. After both teams traded a few points, the Tigers went on a 7-1 run to take a 15-6 lead. Texas State responded with a 5-1 run to cut the gap to six points, but Mizzou wouldn’t back down. More back-and-forth play continued, and a 4-1 run capped by a Bobcat error ended the set, giving the Tigers a 25-16 win and a 1-0 lead.

The teams traded points to start the second set, with the Tigers leading 10-9 on a kill from junior Janet Demarais and an ace from senior Chiararis Perez-Catala. Neither team was able to build a lead, but the Tigers took the largest lead of the set with a 6-1 run that included two goals from Demarais and three errors from the Bobcats, increasing their lead to 22-17. But the Bobcats didn’t lose without a fight. After the Tigers’ strong advance, Texas State also responded with three consecutive points, cutting the gap to two points. But it wasn’t enough, as the Bobcats’ fifth offensive error of the set gave the Tigers a 25-22 victory and a 2-0 lead.

Mizzou entered the third set looking to win, and that’s exactly what happened. But just like the second set, it wasn’t easy. Both teams traded points from the start, but Texas State outscored the Bobcats 15-8 with an 11-2 run that included three offensive errors by Mizzou. Head coach Dawn Sullivan, who started playing in reverse, made changes and everything she did worked like a charm. Vernon’s kill started a run for the Tigers, who scored the next five points and five of the next six points to get back within one point. The Bobcats fought back with an ace, senior Jordan Iliff had a kill and another offensive error tied the score at 17 in the set. Both teams went back and forth until the Tigers ended the set and match with three kills from Vernon and two more errors from Texas State. They took the set 25-22 and won the match 3-0.

Vernon was the star of this match. She led the team with 20 kills and also added six digs and a .313 batting average. Iliff and Demaret were also key to the Tiger offense, recording 11 and nine kills, respectively. The final offensive contributor was graduate transfer Colleen Finney, who had seven kills and hit .545.

The Tigers’ next matchup will be against second-seeded SMU, which enters the tournament ranked 10th in the nation. Led by outside hitters Maya Tabron and Naya Sime, they are a strong defensive team, holding a .141 batting average with 21 block attempts against Wichita State.

The game will take place Friday at 7 p.m. in Dallas, Texas and will be streamed on ESPN+.