Mizzou volleyball didn’t make life easy on itself Friday night, but it still walked out of Hearnes Center with a 3-1 win over Arkansas State to open the Mizzou Tournament.
After dropping the first set 25-15, the Tigers steadied themselves and took control by winning the next three, 25-20, 25-23 and 26-24. It was the kind of response that showed up in the numbers and in the moments: Missouri found its rhythm at the net, cleaned up its passing, and kept stacking points when the match got tight.
Grace O’Reilley powered the offense with a season-high 13 kills and three blocks. Paige Felder turned in a strong all-around night with 10 kills, 10 digs and three blocks for her first double-double of the season.
Sierra Dudley added 36 assists and reached 1,502 for her career, clearing the 1,500-assist mark against Arkansas State. Freshman Ceylin Kuyan also made her mark, finishing with a career-high 11 digs to go with nine kills.
Arkansas State came out fast in the opening set, jumping ahead 4-0 and later stretching the margin to seven points at 15-8. Missouri got early kills from Felder, Kimani Johnson, Nina Mandovic and others, but the Red Wolves kept control and closed it out 25-15.
The second set looked much more like Missouri’s game. Kuyan got things started with a kill, O’Reilly tied it at 5-5 with her first kill of the night, and the Tigers kept hanging around until Smith’s serving helped push them forward. After a 14-14 deadlock, Missouri separated a bit, then Felder and O’Reilly helped finish the set 25-20 and square the match.
From there, the Tigers carried that momentum into the third. O’Reilly opened with a kill, the block tightened up, and Felder kept piling up points as Missouri built a lead midway through the frame. The set stayed close all the way down, but Kuyan finished it off with a kill from Dudley for a 25-23 win.
The fourth set was the most dramatic of the night. Arkansas State surged ahead by five points at 20-15, but Missouri answered again.
O’Reilly chipped away at the deficit, Piper Batie made her Hearnes debut and helped steady the Tigers with two serves and two assists, and Johnson teamed with Smith for her first block of the night. Dudley then delivered the final service ace to seal the 26-24 comeback and the 3-1 match victory.
Missouri is now 7-2 all-time against Arkansas State.
Dawn Sullivan moved to 170-73 overall and 61-35 at Mizzou.
The Tigers also continued a productive stretch at the stat sheet, posting 51 kills and 48 assists for their second straight match with 50-plus kills and 40-plus assists.
Ainoah Cruz is closing in on 1,500 digs as well, sitting at 1,486 after the match.
Mizzou returns to the floor Saturday, Sept. 12, when it faces Wichita State at 4 p.m. in Hearnes Center.
In Other News...
Eli Drinkwitz Took Missouris Border War Win To Another Level Online
Missouris Border War win over Kansas already carried the usual rivalry weight, but Eli Drinkwitz made sure the celebration did not stop when the game did. After the Tigers 38-21 victory, the Missouri coach jumped onto social media and started responding to Kansas players and fans, turning a Saturday win into a much longer night online.
Drinkwitz replied to posts tied to the rivalry, including a Kansas hype video and clips of goalpost celebrations, and he leaned into the back-and-forth in a way that fit the moment. Missouri has now won consecutive games since the series resumed, and with no meeting scheduled again until 2031, the online noise may be the loudest part of this Border War for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Border War Win Revealed A New Offensive Pecking Order
Missouris Border War win over Kansas did more than improve the record in Week 2. It also offered a clearer look at how the offense is being organized early in the season, with a tighter rotation than the opener and a few players beginning to separate themselves in meaningful ways. Quarterback Austin Simmons was at the center of it, posting a 90.2 Pro Football Focus grade over 69 snaps, while the backfield and receiver usage pointed to a more defined pecking order than the Tigers showed a week earlier.
Jamal Roberts was heavily involved as Missouri leaned on him in both the run game and overall workload, and the line gave Simmons enough protection to keep the offense on schedule. The pass blocking stood out in particular, with Luke Work drawing strong marks, and the Tigers still spread the ball around enough to use seven receivers. The question now is how much of that Week 2 distribution was a product of the matchup, and how much of it signals the way this offense wants to run going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cayden Green Made Missouris Kansas Win Mean Even More
Missouris win over Kansas had plenty of obvious stars, but Cayden Greens role gave the night a little extra weight. Coach Eli Drinkwitz handed out game balls after the 38-21 victory, and Green was among the players recognized alongside receiver Cayden Lee and linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr., a nod to how much the left tackle mattered in keeping the offense on track.
Greens presence was especially notable because his return came sooner than many around the program had expected, adding another layer to a rivalry win that already carried plenty of meaning. With Austin Simmons and Jamal Roberts also turning in strong performances, Missouri left the field with a result that stood on its own, but Greens contribution made the celebration feel even fuller. [Read more 🡒]