Western Illinois 0, Missouri 3 Hearnes Center, Columbia, MO. August 28, 2026 Missouri opened its 2026 season in dominant fashion, sweeping Western Illinois 3-0 to open the Mizzou Invitational, powered by a scorching .507 hitting percentage as a team. Western Illinois actually grabbed the opening point of all three sets, but couldn't sustain any momentum against a clearly superior Missouri squad. In the first set, Western Illinois trailed 8-3 before clawing back to make it 8-6, only for the Tigers to answer with a 9-0 run that ballooned the lead to 17-6. After trading a few points, Missouri closed the set on another 6-0 run to win it 25-9. Missouri kept the pressure on in the second set. Western Illinois managed to avoid any single long run against it, but the Tigers strung together five separate scoring runs of three or more points, capping the frame with a 7-0 closing burst to win 25-11. Western Illinois found its best form of the day in the third set, building a two-point lead ear...