COLUMBIA, Mo. - After claiming the second-season opening win in as many years over Towson on Friday, Idaho Volleyball dropped its first contest of the season to Missouri on the Tigers' home court in Columbia. The matchup carried extra meaning for one Vandal in particular, as senior Sarah Sullivan took the court against her mother, Missouri head coach Dawn Sullivan, for the first time in their careers.
The Vandals took an early 4-2 lead in the contest, bolstered by errors from the Tigers and kills from Kiana Greer and Anika Hudson to make a noticeable first impression on their hosts. The first set was neck and neck all the way to the media timeout, with neither team garnering more than a three-point advantage until Mizzou went up 16-12 after the break. The SEC representatives would not relinquish the advantage and took the set, despite Idaho winning four of the final seven points.
The second frame featured the Vandals going toe-to-toe with the 2024 NCAA Championship contenders all throughout. Sarah Sullivan and Csenge Krakoczki directed the UI attack to a 6-3 lead in the opening rallies before knotting it up at 14 just before the media break. The Tigers came out to win six of the following eight points before Idaho came back with fervor, cutting the deficit to just two before UM closed out the set.
The Tigers went on a series of runs to start the third period, marching out to a strong advantage that they would ride to the end to close out the match. Kiana Greer led the way for UI with eight kills, while Sophie Danielson put up a half dozen. Zola Zuccolo once again set up the offense with a team-leading 15 assists in her second collegiate contest. Danielson and Koen Makaula each had a hand in four total blocks.
UP NEXT
Idaho will close out the Mizzou Invite on Sunday, taking on Western Illinois before returning home to Moscow to prepare for week two. First serve vs. the Leathernecks is scheduled for 11:30 AM CST / 9:30 AM PST.
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Vandal Volleyball, follow the team on Instagram (vandalvolleyball), X (IdahoVolleyball) and visit govandals.com
