JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri Southern State (7-15, 2-8 Mid-America Intercollegiate) lost to Pittsburg State (19-6, 5-4 Mid-America Intercollegiate) 3-0 Saturday at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Missouri Southern was held to 26 kills and a .082 hitting percentage, while the Gorillas finished with 44 kills and hit .275.
Addysen Alvis led MSSU with seven kills and added three digs.
Grace Gardner finished with six kills, nine digs and a solo block.
Brenna Weaver recorded 13 assists, four digs and one kill.
Ella Breazeale added five kills and a team-high three total blocks.
The Lions pushed back from an early deficit in the first set, but Pittsburg State broke open a tight stretch and took the set 25-18. Earlier,
Kenzie Jones had a block on an attack error to tie the set at 1-1, and Southern later moved ahead 3-2 before answering a 6-3 deficit with a
Kaelyn Kendrick kill and two
Ella Breazeale-involved blocks to go in front 7-6. Breazeale added a kill from
Abby Morris and teamed with
Addysen Alvis on a block as MSSU stayed within 11-10. PSU then scored the next five points to move ahead 16-10, and although Gardner,
Tiana Simmons and Alvis added late kills, the Lions could not close the gap before the visitors finished the set.
Missouri Southern erased an early deficit and briefly moved in front midway through the second set, but the Gorillas controlled the later stretch to take the set 25-19. Earlier, Southern trailed 6-1 before kills from
Jordyn Whitfield,
Tiana Simmons, Gardner and
Ella Breazeale helped pull it within 7-5, with
Brenna Weaver assisting on three of those kills. After Pittsburg State went back up 9-7,
Addysen Alvis had kills to bring MSSU within 9-8 and even the set at 10-10, and back-to-back PSU attack errors gave the Lions a 12-10 lead. The Gorillas tied the set at 14-14 and later moved ahead 20-16; Southern got late points on opponent errors and a Jones kill from Weaver, but the visitors closed out the set.
Missouri Southern stayed even early in the third set, using kills from Jones, Gardner and
Ella Breazeale to move ahead 4-2 before the teams reached a 5-5 tie. Pittsburg State then won the next 10 points, with Amariah White contributing three kills during the stretch, as the Lions fell behind 15-5. MSSU responded after a 17-6 deficit with four straight points behind consecutive
Addysen Alvis kills, a
Brenna Weaver kill and a PSU attack error to close within 17-10. Jones and Gardner added late kills, but the Gorillas finished the set at 25-14.
