Sands and Iliff Receive 2023 AVCA Southeast All-Region Recognition

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Volleyball student-athletes Maya Sands and Jordan Iliff both received 2023 AVCA Southeast All-Region recognition, the organization announced Tuesday. Sands was tabbed to the Southeast All-Region Team while Iliff was named a Southeast All-Region Honorable Mention.

Sands and Iliff are Mizzou’s 21st and 22nd Southeast All-Region selections (36th and 37th AVCA All-Region players) in program history.

The duo is Missouri’s first student-athletes to earn AVCA Southeast All-Region laurels since Kylie Deberg in 2020 (April 2021).

Maya Sands

Sophomore libero Maya Sands was selected to her first career AVCA All-Region Team Tuesday after she led the SEC with a career-best 542 digs (4.71 digs/set) in 2023.

In the NCAA, Sands ranked 32nd overall for digs and produced double-digit digs in every match of Mizzou’s regular season (29 of 31 total matches). 

Most recently, the 2023 SEC Libero of the Year logged back-to-back nine-dig performances in the 2023 NCAA Tournament against Delaware and top-ranked Nebraska, Dec. 1-2 in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

The Rock Falls, Illinois, native, registered six performances of 24-plus digs (four 24-dig matches in 2023), along with 20 or more digs in 14 matches this season.

In SEC play, Sands paced the conference with 339 digs and 4.99 digs per set.

The 2023 All-SEC Team selection and two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 16 and Nov. 13) grabbed a career-high 30 digs to go with two assists and an ace against Ole Miss on Oct. 15.

She also posted consecutive 23-dig performances against Texas A&M (Nov. 10) and Auburn (Nov. 12).

In the Mizzou single season record books, Sands ranks fifth overall for digs. 

Jordan Iliff

Junior rightside hitter Jordan Iliff was awarded her first career AVCA All-Region honors after she was listed as a 2023 Honorable Mention Tuesday. 

Iliff paced the Tigers in 2023 with a career-best 388 kills (3.40 kills/set, 10th in the SEC) which ranked seventh in the SEC. She also led Mizzou this season, accounting for 468 points (4.11 points/set, eighth in the SEC) for sixth in the league. 

Additionally, the six-rotation hitter recorded 45 aces (third in the SEC, 0.39 aces/set, fourth in the SEC) in 2023.

The St. Louis, native clocked double-digit kills in all but seven matches this season (24 of 31) including 15 of Mizzou’s 18 SEC matches.

The 2023 All-SEC Team performer posted 10 matches with at least 15 kills during the campaign.

Most recently, Iliff guide the Tigers to a 2023 NCAA Tournament First Round victory over Delaware (Dec. 1), tallying 10 kills, three digs and three aces. She also provided six kills and five digs against top ranked Nebraska on Dec. 2. 

She concluded the season ranked eighth in the SEC for points (4.31 points/set, 293.0 points) and 10th for kills (3.54 kills/set, 241 kills). 

The two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 23 and Nov. 6) also provided a steady presence for Missouri behind the 10-foot line. Iliff recorded 23 matches with five-plus digs, while registering six double-doubles and finishing with double-digits digs seven times.