COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 9 Mizzou Volleyball (4-2) defeated (RV) Arkansas in straight sets (28-26, 25-19, 29-27) Thursday in its final home match of the fall season. The Tigers rallied from a 21-14 deficit and fought off five Arkansas set points in the opening set to win. Mizzou has taken the first set in all six of its fall matches thus far.
After handily winning the second set, Mizzou fought off another two Arkansas set points in the third set to ultimately claim a victory in extra points. Thursday marked the Tigers’ second sweep of the season.
Senior OH Kylie Deberg and sophomore OH Anna Dixon led the Tigers’ offense Thursday evening, posting 20 and 17 kills, respectively. Deberg also added 13 digs, recording her team-best third double-double of the year. The Hudson, Iowa, native tacked on one ace this evening, moving her into sixth place all-time in Mizzou career aces (124).
Senior OH Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana and sophomore MB Claudia Dillon led Mizzou’s blocking efforts, posting four total blocks each, including a solo block from Hollingsworth-Santana.
Redshirt Junior S Andrea Fuentes orchestrated a strong team offensive effort for the Tigers, as they finished with 54 kills on .304 hitting. It stood as Mizzou’s second match this season with a .300-plus team hitting percentage. Individually, Fuentes posted 45 assists Thursday, marking her fourth match this fall with 40-plus assists.
#ShowMe Top Performers vs. Arkansas
- Deberg: 20 kills on .326 hitting, 13 digs, 1 total block, 1 ace
- Dixon: 17 kills on .275 hitting, 4 digs, 1 assist
- Hollingsworth-Santana: 9 kills on .364 hitting, 4 total blocks (1 solo), 1 ace
- Dillon: 6 kills on .308 hitting, 4 total blocks
- Fuentes: 45 assists, 5 digs, 2 total blocks, 1 kill
- Emily Brown: 14 digs, 3 assists
Hear From Head Coach Joshua Taylor
On Thursday’s series finale win over Arkansas…
“We came out a bit rusty tonight, but did a heck of a job battling at the end of set one to force extra points. I was really happy with how our team kept battling adversity at the end of that opening set. Set two was definitely our strongest effort, as we hit well and also played stingy defense. Set three was back and forth again like the first set, and once again our ladies were able to step up in key situations. Overall this week, I’m definitely pleased with how we responded after a couple tough matches last week against Kentucky. It’s hard to believe that we’re down to our last two matches of the fall season, but we have to take advantage of some down time and recoup ahead of two big matches at Ole Miss.”
#MIZ Takeaways
- Mizzou improved to 15-3 historically against Arkansas following Thursday’s sweep. The Tigers extended their current winning streak in the all-time series to 12 matches.
- Mizzou now owns an unscathed 10-0 all-time record against the Razorbacks in historical matches played in Mid-Missouri.
- After filling up the stat sheet the past two nights, Dixon has now surpassed 400 career points. The Louisburg, Kansas, native opened the week with 18.5 points Wednesday and followed that with 17 this evening against the Razorbacks.
- Deberg finished with 20-plus kills for the second consecutive match. Overall this fall, she has eclipsed 20-plus kills in four of six total matches.
- Brown was superb defensively in the back row for Mizzou, leading both the Tigers and Razorbacks in individual digs both matches. The Lafayette, Indiana, native tallied 19 in the series opener and closed the week out with 14 on Thursday.
Up Next
Mizzou wraps up its fall 2020 schedule in two weeks (Nov. 20-21), as it treks south to Ole Miss. First serve both days in Oxford, Mississippi, will take place at noon CT. Friday afternoon’s series opener will broadcast live on SEC Network, while Saturday afternoon’s finale will air online on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.
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