Missouri’s opening day at the Mizzou Invitational belonged to the freshmen.
The Tigers rolled past Western Illinois and Towson on Friday at Hearnes Center to start the season 2-0, and the biggest sparks came from first-year players Ceylin Kuyan and Eva Smith. Missouri beat Western Illinois in three sets, then came back later in the day to finish off Towson, 25-19, 25-17, 25-21.
For coach Dawn Sullivan, the day was as much about endurance as it was about results. With two matches packed into one Friday, she liked what she saw from her team’s younger pieces in particular.
“I thought they did a really nice job with the way they worked through preseason,” Sullivan said. “Being able to play two matches in one day is hard. To be able to sustain the energy throughout that, I thought both of them did an incredible job.”
Kuyan announced herself right away in her Missouri debut. Against Western Illinois, the outside hitter put down 14 kills, hit .632 and made just two errors in 19 swings. Paige Felder matched the tone at the pins, adding 13 kills while hitting .565 with no errors, and the Tigers never let the Leathernecks settle in.
Kuyan’s numbers cooled against Towson, but Sullivan said the freshman still gave Missouri exactly what it needed.
“Kuyan, I thought she did a phenomenal job earlier this morning,” Sullivan said. “This match she struggled a little bit offensively, but really just was strong.
She was stable, confident. Statistics didn’t really matter.
She just continued to play the same way with the same energy.”
That steadiness mattered when Towson made things uncomfortable in the third set.
Missouri came out flying in the opener, jumping to a 5-0 lead with Smith making an immediate impact at the net. She opened with a solo block, then teamed with Maca Lobaglio for another as the Tigers used their size to set the tone. Kuyan chipped in an early back-row kill, and Missouri held on to the first set 25-19.
The second set was Smith’s turn to take over. The freshman middle blocker was all over the court, scoring on slide attacks, piling up service aces and controlling the net as Missouri surged to a 15-9 lead. She finished it herself with an ace, sealing a 25-17 set win and putting the Tigers up 2-0 in the match.
“Eva, not a ton of attempts, but dang,” Sullivan said. “As a freshman, to come in and just take over with the way she does, especially with her serve.”
Sullivan said Smith’s ceiling is only starting to show.
“I think it’s just a start,” Sullivan said. “Eva’s got the physicality to play at a really high level.
She reads the game at a really high level. Just allowing her to be her and not overwhelming her with information, I think that’s when you can see her look her best.”
Towson finally found some traction in the third, grabbing the first three points and later moving ahead 13-10. That brought Sullivan to her first timeout of the match, and Missouri answered with five straight points to reclaim control. Lobaglio helped close it out with back-to-back kills late, and Felder added another as the Tigers wrapped up the sweep 25-21.
While Kuyan and Smith grabbed the spotlight, setter Nina Mandovic kept Missouri’s offense moving all day.
“I was just in the moment playing with my team,” Mandovic said. “I’m just trying to win. That’s it.”
Libero Ainoah Cruz also worked through an early rough patch against Towson, shaking off two service errors and adjusting from the line.
“I would tell myself, put the ball in,” Cruz said. “Making sure I was good mentally and taking my breath before serving.”
Missouri will return Saturday unbeaten with Idaho up next in the invitational. After one day, the Tigers have already gotten a clear look at the kind of upside their freshmen can bring.
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