Mizzou Central

No. 25 Mizzou Volleyball Upsets No. 15 SMU to Advance in NCAA Tournament; The Buzz, December 7, 2024

Your daily briefing on what's going on with Mizzou athletics, including full TV listings.

Amber Winkler

Missouri Tigers setter Marina Crownover (22), a former Texas Longhorn, reacts with her teammates, including middle blocker Morgan Isenberg (9) after scoring a point during the Longhorns' match-up with the Missouri Tigers at the Gregory Gym in Austin, Nov. 1, 2024.
Missouri Tigers setter Marina Crownover (22), a former Texas Longhorn, reacts with her teammates, including middle blocker Morgan Isenberg (9) after scoring a point during the Longhorns' match-up with the Missouri Tigers at the Gregory Gym in Austin, Nov. 1, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Missouri came into the NCAA tournament as the No. 7 seed and swept Texas State in the first round to advance. This set them up to face No. 2 seed SMU on Friday.

The Tigers weren't able to sweep two nights in a row, but put up a good fight for it. They won their first two sets with margins of 25-22 and 25-14, before having a long battle for the next set. In the third set, Missouri and SMU battled all the way to 33-31 before the Mustangs took the set.

After being down at the beginning of the fourth set, Missouri fought back to take the final lead after the 20-point threshold. Missouri won the fourth and last set by 25-22.

Senior Jordan Illif earned a single-season record for aces in the third set against the Mustangs, racking up to 66 by the end of the match. She put 16 kills and 10 digs against SMU. Teammates Mychael Vernon and Janet deMarrais also put up double-digit kills with 23 and 12, respectively.

Missouri advanced to the final 16 to face the No. 3 seed in Kentucky. The Wildcats were ranked No. 11 prior to the tournament. They swept Cleaveland State in the first round and earned a 3-1 win against No 15 Minnesota to advance to the next round.

Friday's Results

  • Volleyball 3-1 win over No. 10 SMU

Saturday's Schedule

  • Track and Field at Danville Opener, Boston, Mass., Watch, Live Results
  • Wrestling at at Cougar Clash, Edwardsville, Ill., 10 a.m.
  • WBB vs Northern Illinois, Columbia, Mo., 2 p.m., Watch, Live Stats

Did you notice?

• The Birmingham Stallions of the UFL have signed former Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis. He originally signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafter free agent, following the 2024 NFL draft. He hold Mizzou records for scoring, field goals made, and 50+ yard field goals.

• Offensive Lineman Armand Membou is forgoing his final year of eligibility and declared for the NFL draft on Friday. Read more here.

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Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Report: Mizzou WR to Enter Transfer Portal
Brady Cook Earns Two SEC Awards
Eli Drinkwitz's Thoughts on Mizzou's Next Era of Offensive Stars

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Amber Winkler
AMBER WINKLER

Amber is a sports journalist and photographer from St. Charles, Mo. Currently, she is a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia pursuing a degree in journalism.

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