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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) As far as the postseason is concerned, the final two matches of the regular-season could not be more important for the Mizzou volleyball team. With Selection Sunday looming on the horizon, head coach Dawn Sullivan and company's performances in the final pair of matches against Mississippi State and Alabama, as well as in the SEC Tournament will prove critical. As of now, Tiger volleyball sits as the No. 45 team in the RPI, as the group will look to make Coach Sullivan's third-straight NCAA Tournament. Before focusing on the national stage, Sullivan is more concerned with the tasks that lie ahead in their own conference. This week's games against Mississippi State and Alabama will be important when it comes to seeding in the conference tournament, as the Tiger hope to be one of the teams to secure a bye. "We need to have a lot of success in that tournament, versus some really good RPI teams. We have a really good chance to show some people what this momentum we've built over the season is and continue to prove it," Sullivan said. "This week [versus Mississippi State and Alabama] is critical for us. We need to make sure we show up and play really strong versus these two teams to put ourself in a really good situation in the SEC Tournament and make sure we have a really good seed, so we aren't playing multiple days in a row." You can watch the full one-on-one interview with Sullivan in the video player below. First up, the Tigers will travel to Starkville to face the Bulldogs on Friday. Coach Sullivan said her group will meet a Mississippi State team that is playing really well, right now. "They have a right side that's performance for them, as well as a freshman outside. So, for us, it's going to be about serving tough, you know? Can we get them out of system? Can we drive the ball hard enough and then can we just be great defending them and make sure we put up a really good block and take that ball up to transition and find our middles? I think that's where our strength is," she said. "So, one [key to the game] is just that serve-and-pass, you know, we got to drive that ball...Number two is just being pretty scrappy. I think they do a good job of attacking the hands, but also dropping the ball short and tipping the ball. So, can we control that ball well-enough to fundamentals. Then, for us, just continue to play Mizzou volleyball." After that game, MU will make the trip to Tuscaloosa to face an Alabama team that's only won three conference games all season long. "You know, I think our serve will always be key for us. We're doing a really nice job in this conference with our serve, our service aces, but also just getting them out of system, so we need to continue to do that at a high level," Sullivan said. "Then, digging balls to the point that we can set our middle and create opportunities. When you get that ball up and it's a nice dig, we have a lot options. That's when we get into those one-on-one situations and we see some people flying through the air with those kills." Once Mizzou wraps up the regular-season, all the attention will turn to the road trip to Savannah, Georgia for the return of the SEC Tournament. It will be the first time that the conference showdown will be played since the 2005 season. For MU, it represents an opportunity to make a run and continue to prove, nationally, just what this team is made of, ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Up next - Mizzou will face Mississippi State on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. in Starkville.
