Alabama
12-12 (4-9SEC)
Missouri
17-6 (9-4SEC)
Kaylee Thomas Notches 1,000th Career Dig, Alabama Falls to Missouri
11/15/2019 8:06:00 PM | Volleyball
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Alabama volleyball fell to Missouri in three sets Friday night in the Hearnes Center, with junior Kaylee Thomas becoming the 14th player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs.
Thomas led the Alabama (12-12, 4-9 SEC) defense with 11 digs, pushing her past the 1,000 mark for her career. She is the 14th player in Alabama history to reach the milestone.
Missouri (17-6, 9-4 SEC) won the match in straight sets by scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-19. Graduate transfer Eva Borrowdale led the Crimson Tide offense with nine kills, while junior Doris Carter was close behind at eight. As a team, Alabama was held to a .074 clip and just three blocks.
STAT LEADERS
- Kills – Eva Borrowdale (9)
- Assists- Meghan Neelon (11)
- Aces- Ginger Perinar (2)
- Digs – Kaylee Thomas (11)
SET-BY-SET
- Set One (Missouri 25, Alabama 16): Missouri opened the set on a 6-2 run before three straight from Alabama cut the deficit to one point. A kill from senior Hayley McSparin three points later tied it at 7-7 but the Tigers moved back ahead with three unanswered to make it 10-7. Missouri held on to its three-point lead and extended it to four at the media timeout, 15-11. Later trailing 16-12, a Missouri service error and back-to-back aces from senior Ginger Perinar made it a one-point game at 16-15. Alabama couldn't tie the score however, as three unanswered from the Tigers stretched it back to 19-15 before the Tide took a timeout. A 3-1 run extended the home team's lead to 22-16 and Alabama took its second timeout before Missouri closed out the frame with three straight to win, 25-16.
- Set Two (Missouri 25, Alabama 18): Some big blocks helped Alabama erase an early deficit in the second to come back and tie it at 5-5. A service ace three points later from freshman Alyiah Wells gave the Tide its first lead of the match, 7-6. Missouri retook the lead soon after at 9-8 and remained in front at the media timeout, 15-11. Alabama cut the deficit in half, trailing 17-15, before four straight for the Tigers pushed them back ahead 21-15 and the Tide called a timeout. A 3-1 run after the break gave the home team set point, 24-16, and after back-to-back points from Alabama a kill for Missouri closed it out, 25-18.
- Set Three (Missouri 25, Alabama 19): The third set was tightly contested early, with seven tie scores before Missouri scored three in a row to lead 10-7. Later trailing 11-8, back-to-back points for the Tide off Missouri errors made it a one-point game and the Tigers called a timeout with their lead trimmed to 11-10. Alabama drew within one point three more times before Missouri extended its lead back to three at 17-14 and the Tide took its first timeout. Two more after the break increased the Tigers' lead to 19-14 before Alabama responded with four unanswered to make it a one-point game. Missouri pushed back ahead with three straight before Alabama took its second timeout down 22-18. The Tigers held on to win the set, 25-19, and complete the sweep.
KEYS TO THE MATCH
- Alabama was held to a sub-.100 hitting percentage for just the third time this season, ending the match at .074 while Missouri hit .438
- Missouri had three players with double-digit kills while Alabama had none
- The Tigers committed 11 service errors with just three aces, while the Tide only had three along with four aces
UP NEXT
Alabama heads to Fayetteville, Ark., facing the Arkansas Razorbacks (8-17, 2-11 SEC) on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 12 p.m. CT live on the SEC Network.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVball on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
