COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 9 Mizzou Volleyball (3-2) triumphed against (RV) Arkansas at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday in its fifth match of the fall season, 3-2 (25-13, 25-22, 21-25, 25-27, 15-6). After coasting through the first two sets and dropping the third and fourth, the Tigers dominated in the fifth and final set to come out with a win.
Senior OH Kylie Deberg had an all-time great offensive performance for Mizzou, recording a career-high 28 kills, eight aces and 37.0 points. Deberg’s 37.0 points ranks tied for first all-time in Tigers single-match history, joining Paola Ampudia’s memorable performance against Kansas 11 years ago (Oct. 24, 2009). Additionally, her eight aces ranks tied for third in Mizzou single-match history, as it was the most strikes from the service line by a Tiger in 11 years.
Both Deberg (28 kills, 14 digs) and redshirt junior S Andrea Fuentes (48 assists, 14 digs) recorded double-doubles for the second time this season. Fuentes surpassed 2,500 career assists Wednesday, while also adding a career-high six kills on .455 hitting.
Following suit, senior OH Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana surpassed her season-high in kills and digs, finishing with 14 and six, respectively. Sophomore OH Anna Dixon also recorded season-bests in kills (18) and points (18.5).
Freshman DS Emily Brown set a season standard with 19 digs, finishing with double-digits digs for the fourth time in five matches. Brown’s excellent defensive performance in the back row paced all Tigers and Razorbacks for the evening.
#ShowMe Top Performers vs. Arkansas
- Deberg: 28 kills on .324 hitting, 8 aces, 14 digs, 2 total blocks, 1 assist
- Dixon: 18 kills on .286 hitting, 2 digs, 1 total block
- Fuentes: 48 assists, 14 digs, 6 kills on .455 hitting, 2 total blocks, 1 ace
- Brown: 19 digs, 9 assists, 1 ace
- Hollingsworth-Santana: 14 kills on .303 hitting, 6 digs, 1 ace
- Leandra Mangual-Duran: 10 digs, 3 assists
- Erin Williamson: 8 digs, 2 assists
Hear From Head Coach Joshua Taylor
On Wednesday’s five-set thriller inside Hearnes…
“Tonight, was definitely a match full of momentum swings. We obviously came out really strong in set one and played well again in set two. We maintained control in set three, but kudos to Arkansas for fighting back in a big way to keep the match alive. In set four we started slow, but I was pleased with our fight to make it real interesting. Before set five, we had to hit the reset button and regain our focus. I was really pleased with our aggressiveness in the beginning there and that really carried us through the final set.”
#MIZ Takeaways
- Following Wednesday’s triumph, Mizzou improves to 14-3 historically against Arkansas. The Tigers extended their current winning streak in the all-time series to 11 matches.
- Deberg’s historical performance Wednesday secured her third 20-plus kill match of the fall campaign.
- While her total points and service aces output cracked the Mizzou single-match record book, her 28 kills and 71 total attacks fell just outside the Tigers’ Top 10 list.
- After a dominating 25-13 set one victory, Mizzou has now claimed the opening set in all five matches played this fall.
- Behind Deberg’s sensational eight individual aces, the Tigers finished with 11 service aces overall Wednesday, marking a new season-high.
- Arkansas clawed back into this evening’s match behind .380-plus hitting in sets three and four. However, Mizzou’s defense responded in a big way in set five, limiting the Razorbacks’ attack to a measly .043 hitting.
Up Next
Mizzou hosts the Razorbacks again Thursday (Nov. 5) evening in its 2020 fall home finale. First serve inside the Hearnes Center is slated for 6 p.m. CT and the match will broadcast live on SEC Network.
Single-game and season tickets for the 2020-21 Mizzou campaign are available for purchase at MUTigers.com/VBTix. Tiger fans can also call the Mizzou Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
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