Match Stats
- Missouri defeats Miami 3-1 (25-14, 18-25, 25-15, 25-23)
- Missouri defeats Delaware 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-13)
- Missouri improves to 8-3
- Delaware moves to 6-6
- Miami moves to 6-6
Missouri capped a perfect 3-0 weekend at the Delaware Invite with wins over Miami (3-1) and host Delaware (3-0) on Saturday.
Melanie Crow (16 kills, 11 digs) and Carly Kan (10 kills, 18 digs) had big double-doubles, and Courtney Eckenrode tallied a whopping 51 assists over four sets.
Miami was led by 21 kills from Olga Strantzali.
Missouri went on to blank Delaware, with Emily Thater notching 12 kills and Alexa Ethridge earning 14 digs. Delaware’s Corey Perkins hit for 8 digs and 3 kills.
Delaware would go on to beat Duquesne later in the day, with Taylor Hollingsworth taking 23 digs and Maria Bellinger earning 15 kills. Miami also beat Duquesne on a 21-kill, 18-dig day from Olga Strantzali.
Press releases
Missouri:
NEWARK, Del. – Mizzou Volleyball (8-3) posted a victory in its first match of Saturday’s doubleheader, defeating Miami (Fla.), 3-1 (25-14, 18-25, 25-15, 25-23). An impressive three Tigers finished with double-doubles, as redshirt junior Melanie Crow (Wildwood, Mo.), junior Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) and senior Carly Kan (Honolulu) all had outstanding individual matches.
Crow tallied her team-leading fifth double-double of the season, following her 16 kills and 11 digs against the Hurricanes. Eckenrode shined once again in the Tigers’ new 5-1 offense, recording a season high 51 assists and 14 digs. The outing marked Eckenrode’s second double-double of the 2016 campaign. Finally, Kan finished with 10 kills and 18 digs, marking her fourth double-double of the year.
Redshirt junior Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) was outstanding on the right side, tying Crow for the team high in kills with 16. Larson paced the Tigers with a season high .483 hitting percentage. SeniorEmily Thater (Springfield, Mo.) and sophomore Alyssa Munlyn (Suwanee, Ga.) also had strong offensive mornings. Thater posted seven kills on .400 hitting, while Munlyn continued her impressive tournament with nine kills on .381 hitting.
In Mizzou’s new system, redshirt freshman Riley Sents (Grundy Center, Iowa) contributed her second consecutive solid match in the back row, tallying a career high six digs.
The Tigers began their match against the Hurricanes in similar fashion to Friday’s effort. Mizzou posted 17 kills on .310 hitting as Eckenrode once again ran an efficient offense. Larson was sensational in the opening set, posting a team high seven kills on .538 hitting. She also recorded an ace and two digs for an overall standout first set. Crow and Thater also shined offensively, tallying four and three kills, respectively.
Roles reversed in the second set, as Miami claimed a 25-18 victory to even the overall score. Larson reached 10 overall kills following the second set, marking her third double-digit kill output of the season. Eckenrode was active at setter and defense early on, securing her second double-double of the season through only two sets played.
Mizzou bounced back nicely in the third set, claiming back its match advantage. The Tigers offense came alive again with 16 kills on .419 hitting. Crow paced Mizzou with six kills in the third set, as her and Larson each possessed a team high 13 total kills. Mizzou’s defense also played extremely well, limiting the Hurricanes attack to .036 hitting (seven kills, six errors).
The Tigers and Hurricanes exchanged points throughout the fourth and final set, highlighted by 14 ties and six lead changes. Crow tallied two digs in the set, while Kan posted two kills en route to each securing their respective double-doubles.
UP NEXT
Mizzou’s final match of the 2016 Delaware Invitational is scheduled for later this evening. The Tigers will face host Delaware at 6 p.m. (CT). The Hearnes Center will host Mizzou’s 2016 Southeastern Conference opener on Wednesday, Sept. 21. First serve between the Tigers and South Carolina is set for 8 p.m. (CT) and the match will broadcast live on ESPNU.
NEWARK, Del. – Mizzou Volleyball (9-3) finished off an impressive weekend with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-13) sweep over Delaware. Saturday evening’s victory capped the Tigers’ perfect 3-0 trip and cemented its championship at the 2016 Delaware Invitational.
Redshirt junior Melanie Crow (Wildwood, Mo.), redshirt junior Kira Larson (Fargo, N.D.) and senior Carly Kan(Honolulu) were each named to the Delaware All-Tournament Team. Crow earned MVP honors after totaling a team high 39 kills (3.90 kills per set), four aces and 44.0 points. The Tiger newcomer earned All-Tournament Team accolades in each of Mizzou’s four nonconference tournaments this season.
Larson was incredibly efficient on offense, totaling 27 kills on .411 hitting this weekend. She was also one of three Tigers to post double-digit total blocks, joining sophomore Alyssa Munlyn(Suwanee, Ga.) and senior Emily Thater (Springfield, Mo.). Kan continued her tradition as an all-around contributor, posting 24 kills and 38 digs (3.80 digs per set).
A big key to the Tigers’ perfect weekend in Newark, Del., was their implementation of the 5-1 offense. Junior Courtney Eckenrode (The Woodlands, Texas) took over sole duties at setter and tallied 119 assists (11.90 per set) en route to a team .327 hitting percentage.
Munlyn and Thater also took advantage of the new Tiger attack, as they each recorded impressive three-match stretches. Munlyn finished with 22 kills on .391 hitting, while Thater posted 24 kills on .439 hitting.
Mizzou got off to a quick start Saturday evening, claiming a 25-11 opening set victory. Munlyn was fantastic on both sides of the ball, recording four kills and four total blocks. Crow also shined on offense for the Tigers, matching Munlyn’s team high four kills. Thater provided three kills and two digs to round out an impressive opening set for Mizzou.
The Tigers trailed by six points early in the second set, but charged late and ultimately prevailed with a 25-21 triumph. Thater continued her strong match with four more kills in the second set. Mizzou’s strong defense led to Delaware hitting less than .100 for the second consecutive set. The Tigers had five individuals with at least one block, highlighted by five total blocks (two solo) from Munlyn.
Mizzou capped off its weekend in dominating fashion with a 25-13 third set match-clinching win. Thater concluded her outstanding evening on offense with four additional kills in the third set. Her 12 kills marked a season high and fell just short of her career high by one. Mizzou’s played a key factor into its success tonight and all weekend long. Overall against Delaware, the Tigers limited them to .011 hitting (21 kills, 20 errors) and tallied nine total blocks.
UP NEXT
The Hearnes Center will host Mizzou’s 2016 Southeastern Conference opener on Wednesday, Sept. 21. First serve between the Tigers and South Carolina is set for 8 p.m. (CT) and the match will broadcast live on ESPNU.
Miami:
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Miami volleyball team dropped its match against the University of Missouri on Saturday morning at the Delaware Invitational.
The Hurricanes (5-6) split the opening two sets with the Tigers (8-3), with Missouri taking the opening set, 25-14, and Miami bouncing back to win the second set, 25-18. Missouri won big in the third set, earning the victory by 10 points, 25-15. Miami and Mizzou battled tight in the fourth set, but the Hurricanes fell just short, 25-23.
Olga Strantzali turned in a season-high 21 kills, adding seven digs, an assist and a block, while Anna Haak recorded her second straight double-double at the Delaware Invitational, recording 15 kills, 11 digs and three blocks.
Sakile Simmons was Miami’s most efficient hitter, registering a .385 attack percentage to go with six kills, a team-high four blocks, two digs and an assist. Fellow middle blocker Lucia Pampana had three kills and two digs, while right side Kolby Bird had five kills, 11 digs, three blocks, an assist and a service ace.
Hannah Sorensen had a career-high 43 assists, adding 14 digs to record her second straight double-double. Sorensen also had a block and a dig, while Sylvia Hernandez led all Hurricanes with 15 digs, adding two assists.
Brooke McDermott and Codi Lee played as reserves, with McDermott recording one of Miami’s three service aces against Missouri.
The Hurricanes close out the tournament with a 4:30 p.m. ET match against Duquesne. Following this weekend’s matches in Delaware, the Hurricanes will open conference play with matches against ACC foes Florida State and Notre Dame. Miami will travel to Florida State for its ACC opener at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23, while the Canes will host Notre Dame at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 25 in their ACC home opener.
All Hurricanes volleyball home matches are played at the James L. Knight Sports Complex on the University of Miami campus. Admission is free. For a complete look at the Hurricanes’ 2016 schedule, click here.
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Miami volleyball team defeated Duquesne in its final match at the Delaware Invitational.
Miami (6-6) took the opening set, 25-19, before Duquesne (9-5) evened the match at one set apiece with their 26-24 win in the second set. The Canes came out of the intermission and took the third set, 25-20. Miami finished off the victory with a 25-21 win in the fourth set.
Three Hurricanes recorded double-digit kills, led by Olga Strantzali’s 21. The junior matched her season-high in kills, set Saturday morning against Missouri, and added 18 digs, five service aces and two blocks. Strantzali, who hit .348 for the match, recorded her fourth double-double of the season.
Lucia Pampana hit .444 and had a career-high 14 kills to go with three blocks and four digs, while Anna Haak registered 11 kills, eight digs, two service aces, a block and an assist.
Sakile Simmons had eight kills and hit .353 for the match, adding a team-high four blocks. Kolby Bird tied with Simmons for the team lead with four blocks and added three kills, eight digs, three assists and an ace.
Hannah Sorensen had a double-double for the third consecutive match, distributing a career-best 44 assists and registering 14 digs. Sorensen also had a career-high two service aces.
Sylvia Hernandez had 12 digs and five assists as Miami’s libero, while Brooke McDermott tallied three kills and two digs off the bench.
Following this weekend’s matches in Delaware, the Hurricanes will open conference play with matches against ACC foes Florida State and Notre Dame. Miami will travel to Florida State for its ACC opener at 7 p.m. on Sept. 23, while the Canes will host Notre Dame at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 25 in their ACC home opener.
Delaware:
NEWARK, Del. — The University of Delaware volleyball team defeated Duquense in a five-set thriller before falling to Missouri in straight sets as the Blue Hens split two matches on the second day of the Delaware Invitational.
The Blue Hens, who are now 6-6 on the season, defeated the Dukes 20-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-16, 15-7 before falling to the Tigers 25-11, 25-21, 25-13.
Maria Bellinger slammed a career-high 15 kills for the second straight match to lead Delaware over Duquesne (9-5), while Alexa Swann added 11 kills and a career-best 10 blocks. Autumn Jenkins notched her second consecutive double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs, while Julia Anderson handed out 33 assists and Taylor Hollingsworth made a match-high 23 digs.
After Delaware dropped the opening set, the second stanza featured 14 ties before Daria Robinson ended the set with a kill to pull the Blue Hens even at a set apiece. UD led 12-11 early in the third set, but the Dukes answered with a 12-3 spurt and eventually took a two sets to one lead.
However the Blue Hens did not trail during the final two sets, easily taking the fourth set before jumping out to a 6-3 lead in the fifth. Duquesne won three straight points to pull even, but Delaware countered by taking nine of the final 10 points to put the match away.
Robinson and Swann each had four kills against Missouri (9-3), while Anderson dished out 13 assists and Corey Perkins made a team-leading eight digs.
Emily Thater paced the Tigers with 12 kills, while tournament MVP Melanie Crow added nine kills and Courtney Eckenrode dished out 33 assists.
Missouri raced out to a 17-7 lead in the opening set before eventually taking the frame by 14 points, while the Blue Hens were much more competitive in a second set that featured nine ties. The final deadlock came at 16-16, before the Tigers captured the next three points and led the rest of the way. Missouri then won the first four points of the third set and was not seriously threatened from there, stretching the lead to as much as 14 points.
The Blue Hens will play their final non-conference match of the season on Tuesday when they host Penn at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Match Notes:
• Jenkins recorded her fourth double-double of the year vs. Duquesne
• Jenkins was UD’s representative on the All-Tournament Team
• The Blue Hens improved to 4-0 all-time vs. the Dukes
• UD, which faced Ole Miss last season, took on an SEC opponent for the second straight year
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