Auburn volleyball put up a strong fight against nationally ranked Missouri in an exciting four-set match Sunday, but ultimately fell short, 3-1 (23-25, 32-30, 25-17, 25-23). The Tigers started strong by taking the first set, but Missouri responded with increased intensity to win the remaining three.
"We've been losing the kill battle for the past couple of matches now, and I was wondering when that was going to catch up to us,” said head coach Brent Crouch. “We've been playing cleaner volleyball, which is good, but we have to find kills, especially at the end of sets. I think we had that team on the ropes, but we let them back in it. They took all the momentum back and it was tough to turn it around."
The Auburn defense was key in holding Missouri to limited points in the opening set, with Eden Bower and Kate Mansfield each recording two blocks to strengthen the front line. Alongside their efforts, Alexis Dacosta, Shanelle Puetz and Liz Markovska combined for 15 digs, holding Missouri to a .119 hitting percentage and setting the tone early.
In the second set, Auburn built a 24-20 lead and looked to take a commanding advantage, but the momentum shifted as Missouri mounted a late rally.
The set turned into a battle of endurance, featuring 17 ties and seven lead changes. Despite Auburn's early control, Missouri pushed the set into extra points and ultimately came out on top, evening the match at 1-1.
Lauren Dreves recorded 10 kills on a .348 hitting percentage in the second set, finishing with a career-high 20 kills and 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
Dacosta added a strong defensive presence, tallying 11 of her 24 digs in the second set alone, marking her second consecutive match with 20 or more digs.
Missouri’s offense took control in the third set. Grace Havlicek led a determined response, contributing four kills and finishing with a career-high eight on the afternoon, but she couldn’t hold off Missouri’s rhythm.
Auburn remained hopeful in the fourth set, holding a lead with contributions from Puetz and fellow setter Kalei Edson. They alternated sets between Markovska (four kills), Dreves (three kills) and Bel Zimmerman (three kills).
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Anderson is a sophomore majoring in journalism. She joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
