By: Grace Huguelet, Mizzou Athletics Strategic Communications
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The power behind No. 8 Missouri’s outside hitters this fall season was undeniable with two players leading at the net in spite of COVID-19 restrictions and multiple injured players. In her third and final season as a Tiger, senior OH Kylie Deberg led the team in kills and points and acted as a mentor for sophomore OH Anna Dixon who will take on her leading status as Deberg graduates at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
The 2020 season has been far from normal with only eight matches played this fall and another slew of Southeastern Conference matches scheduled for this upcoming spring. Coming into the first half of the season, no one knew what to expect.
“I thought we would either have a complete season, playing everyone in a tournament, or that we would have nothing,” Deberg said. “I never thought that a hybrid season would even be an option.”
The unpredictability of the season only made the team more resilient when senior MB Tyanna Omazic suffered a season-ending knee injury against Kentucky, and redshirt junior S Jaden Newsome broke her hand halfway through the fall campaign.
“As a team we just focused on one day at a time, not really looking too far ahead or worrying about what we can’t control” Dixon said. “We just made sure that we focused on what we can do today, as a team, and hoped that our season pushed through.”
The Tigers’ lone losses this fall were against No. 2 Kentucky early in the season. Despite tacking on two losses onto their season record, Deberg referenced the defeat as her favorite matches this season.
“Even though we lost that first match, we went out against Kentucky and dominated them in the first two sets,” Deberg said. “We showed up, we wanted to play, and we played like we knew what we were doing.”
Dixon echoed Deberg’s thoughts, but stated that Deberg’s energy is what set the two matches apart from their other six matches together this fall.
“Everybody told me that Kylie is the best when she starts getting vocal, and I’ve never seen her super hyped-up,” Dixon said. “It was so fun to watch her come out of her shell and have so much energy.”
The two outside hitters shined in the two-match battle against the Wildcats with Deberg recording 22 kills and 11 digs in the first match, and Dixon tallying 18 kills to surpass her previous season-high of 11.
Deberg’s days in black and gold are numbered, as she plays her final season at Mizzou this upcoming spring. Not ready to give up the Tiger stripes just yet, Deberg will be pursuing her Master’s in Sports Administration while playing beach volleyball at Louisiana State University next year.
“Because of COVID-19, everyone gets a year of eligibility back,” Deberg said, “So I filed a waiver stating that I wanted to play beach, and the NCAA let me have two full additional years to play.”
Despite the recent commitment with LSU, her work at Mizzou is not over yet. In addition to her own hard work on the court, Deberg’s dedication to the team has made her into a role model for other players, especially Dixon.
“I’m so happy that I have gotten to play with Kylie in her last year,” Dixon said. “She has helped change my mindset as a player. She just knows how to talk to me and give me positive feedback and I think that is something that will really be missed next year.”
Mizzou has three senior starting players who will be moving on next year, but the upcoming transition does not faze Dixon.
“We have a lot of good players leaving next year, but we also have a lot of good players coming in so we’re going to be a pretty young team next fall,” Dixon said. “Whenever this current big senior class leaves, we’re going to have to step into their shoes and do what they have taught us to do.”
