Preview: No. 5 Stanford Women’s Volleyball heads to No. 23 Missouri
On Tuesday at 6:30 PM PT on ESPN, No. 5 Stanford Women’s Volleyball will take on No. 23 Missouri on the road in a match being dubbed “Showdown at the Net.” This will be the final match of the Cardinal’s opening road trip. Stanford comes in at 3-2 overall while Missouri comes in at 3-1.
Last time out: Stanford fell to No. 2 Texas on Sunday in a tough five setter. Despite the loss, Stanford rose one spot in the AVCA Rankings.
RECAP: No. 6 Stanford Women’s Volleyball drops five setter to No. 2 Texas
On Missouri: The Tigers started off the season strong with 3-0 victories over James Madison and Florida Gulf Coast while also defeating Omaha 3-0 in an exhibition. They did get pushed to five setters twice against Arkansas State afterwards, splitting both matches. Dropping the first and winning the second. Arkansas State is not a ranked team nor are they receiving votes, so even though those matches were on the road, Missouri shouldn’t have struggled like they did.
The Tigers are led by senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander, who is averaging 3.75 kills per set and redshirt junior right side hitter/middle blocker Kimani Johnson, who is averaging 2.69 kills per set. The two of them form a nice duo that is difficult to stop.
Going into the season, the Tigers were picked to finish 4th in the SEC. With Stanford coming to town, they’re going to be eager to prove that they were worthy of that vote and that despite their struggles against Arkansas State, they are still a legit top 25 program.
Keys to the match: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Alexander. She’s really the engine that makes this Missouri team go. If they can limit her production and touches, that will go a long ways towards winning this match.
Secondly, Stanford needs to jump on Missouri early. If they can come out and take that first set, that should go a long ways towards sucking the belief out of Missouri. When you are on the road against a team that will have a passionate crowd, it’s really imperative you take them out of the match as quickly as possible.
Finally, Stanford needs to keep up their attack balance. Elia Rubin (2.89 kills), Ipar Kurt (2.43 kills), Erika Sayer (2.11 kills), and Jordyn Harvey (2.00 kills) are all averaging 2+ kills per set. If Stanford can keep that kind of balance going, that should really help them pull through this match.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning in four sets. I think Missouri is good enough to get a set off Stanford, especially with it being on their home floor. That said, I do think in the end, the Cardinal will pull away with little trouble.
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