Alabama
14-6, 3-4SEC
Missouri
16-3, 7-0SEC
Alabama Volleyball Drops Five-Set Contest Against Missouri
10/16/2016 4:43:00 PM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama volleyball won the first two sets of Sunday's contest against Missouri but the Tigers rallied to win three-straight and complete the comeback to win the match, 3-2.
Alabama (14-6, 3-4 SEC) won the first two sets, 25-16 and 25-23, and led 23-19 late in the third set but Missouri (16-3, 7-0 SEC) came back to win in extra points, 27-25, and claim the next two sets, 25-20 and 15-12, to complete the comeback. This was the Tide's eighth five-set match of the season and the fourth-straight between Alabama and Missouri. Individually, Krystal Rivers led the offensive effort with 32 kills while Hayley McSparin hit a career-best .688 with 11 kills on 16 swings with no errors. Rivers and Brittany Thomas both notched double-doubles in the match while Shannon Mikesky finished one dig shy with 53 assists and nine digs.
Alabama got off to a hot start in the first set, scoring four unanswered points to open the frame and eventually pulling ahead 10-3 on a service ace by Brittany Thomas as Missouri took its first team timeout. Leading 11-4, the Tide scored three in a row to take a double-digit lead but the Tigers responded with a 6-1 run to cut the lead in half as Alabama took a timeout leading 15-10. Alabama regained the momentum in the closing stretch, pulling ahead to eventually win by nine points, 25-16.
Missouri's early 4-1 lead in the second set was short-lived as Alabama quickly tied it up at 4-4 and took the lead at 9-8. The teams continued to battle back and forth with the Tigers on top 15-12 at the media timeout. Alabama continued to keep it close and regained the lead at 20-19 on a Quincey Gary service ace, which forced Missouri to take its first team timeout. Back-to-back points out of the break extended the Tide's lead to 22-19 and the Tigers quickly burned its final timeout of the set. A 3-1 run by Missouri cut Alabama's lead to one point as the Tide took its first timeout up 23-22. Alabama reached set point on the next rally, 24-22, but a Missouri kill made it a one-point game again and gave the visitors possession on a crucial point as the Tide took its final timeout. A kill by Krystal Rivers on the next point gave Alabama the 25-23 win and a 2-0 match lead at intermission.
Alabama's early 7-4 would prove the largest lead for either team in the first half of a tightly-contested third set in which Missouri held a slim 15-14 lead at the media timeout. The Tide rallied following the media timeout, scoring four unanswered points to lead 18-15 and a big slam up the middle by Hayley McSparin made it 19-16 as the Tigers took its first timeout. Missouri's second timeout came shortly thereafter with Alabama up 21-17 and the Tide took its own timeout later leading by two, 23-21. Two more points from the Tigers tied up the set late 23-23 and forced Alabama to take its second timeout. Missouri reached set point first, 24-23, but a kill by Rivers tied it at 24-24 and forced extra points. The Tigers held on to win the set, 27-25, and avoid the sweep.
Missouri led for the majority of the first half of set four, scoring three-straight points to make it 13-7 at the halfway point as Alabama took a timeout. The Tigers kept the momentum rolling after the break, eventually reaching set point up 24-17 but Alabama kept the set alive scoring three-straight points to cut the deficit to four points, 24-20, as Missouri took a timeout. The Tigers won it on the next point however, 25-20, to even the match at 2-2 and force a deciding fifth set.
After five tie scores early in the fifth, Missouri began to pull away with three-straight points to lead 8-5 at the mid-set switch. The Tigers led by four points at the Tide's first timeout, 10-6, and eventually pulled ahead 12-6 before Alabama cut the lead in half with three-straight points to make it 12-9 and force Missouri to take a timeout. The Tigers took its second timeout leading 13-11 and the Tide took its second one point later as Missouri reached match point, 14-11. Rivers' 32nd kill of the match drew the Tide within two points but Missouri ended it on the next rally to win, 15-12, and complete the comeback.
Next up, Alabama hits the road for a pair of matches next weekend, facing Arkansas (3-15, 1-5 SEC) on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. CT and Ole Miss (12-7, 1-5 SEC) on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on Alabama volleyball, follow the team on Twitter (@AlabamaVball), Instagram (AlabamaVball) and Facebook.
