Missouri leads 1-0 in front of raucous crowd
Missouri has looked the part of the aggressor early against Kansas, as the Tigers won the first set, 25-20.
Outside of a few key kills, Kansas seemed to lack firepower in the first set. This is certainly a change of pace for Missouri, as the Tigers have been overpowered in many of their Big 12 matches. Despite being more of a rhythm offense, Missouri's big hitting has put pressure on a Jayhawks team that doesn't look like it wants to try to outgun Missouri.
I'd be remiss if I didn't commend the Missouri crowd. I'm not exactly sure how the attendance numbers will stack up, but this is easily the loudest crowd the Hearnes Center has seen this season. VolleyZou is well-represented and well-heard tonight.
Whether it's been the chanting along with "Zombie Nation" or cheering player-specific cheers after Missouri serves, the fans have been on top of all the action so far tonight. On Kansas serves, the noise has generally reached 91-92 decibels on the floor. During moments of celebration, the noise reached 94 decibels.
The Jayhawks will get a bit of a respite from the noise in the second set. During the first set, Kansas' end of the floor was situated directly in front of the Missouri students. The teams have switched ends of the floor in preparation for the second set.