Volleyball Drops Four-Set Contest to #12 Tennessee

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri volleyball team (13-8, 5-5 SEC) fell to No. 12 Tennessee in four sets (23-25, 25-16, 16-25, 19-25) in front of a season-best crowd of 3,297 Wednesday evening at the Hearnes Center.

Both junior Jordan Iliff and sophomore Janet deMarrais logged 13 kills each to pace the Tigers offensively.

Iliff also posted a double-double, securing 11 digs Wednesday to go with three blocks, an assist, and an ace.

FIRST SET (25-23 Tennessee, Tennessee leads 1-0)

Set one would open with the Tigers and the Lady Vols trading points early, with no team drawing larger than a three-point lead heading into the media timeout.

deMarrais would put her mark on the match early, recording four kills on Mizzou’s first five points. The two squads then entered the media timeout with Tennessee holding a slim 15-13 advantage.

UT would exit the break and quickly swing momentum in their favor, going on a 5-3 run to prompt a Tigers timeout leading 19-15.

Mizzou would fend off set-point (24-19) four times, including a deMarrais service ace followed by an Iliff kill, to trim the deficit to one (24-23) before the Volunteers claimed the set.

deMarrais opened the match with five kills while Iliff added four followed by Dilara Gedikoglu (three kills) and Morgan Isenberg (two kills).

SECOND SET (25-16 Missouri, Match tied 1-1)

Missouri then posted a stellar .314 hitting percentage in the second stanza to even the match at 1-1.

With the set tied at 8-8, Mizzou utilized a 5-0 run to pull away from Tennessee, 13-8. deMarrais slammed a kill to make the score 11-8 before Maya Sands capped the rally with an ace.

The Tigers then went on a 5-1 run to widen the distance to 18-10. Iliff slammed consecutive kills to conclude the sequence that opened with a block assist from Isenberg and deMarrais.

Mizzou would add another 5-1 run (23-13) as Tennessee would come as close 23-15.

Iliff and deMarrais would each chip in kills to complete the frame, 25-16.

Iliff totaled five kills during set #2 on a .333 rate while Gedikoglu added four (.400).

THIRD SET (25-16 Tennessee, Tennessee leads 2-1)

Tennessee then opened the third on a 6-0 run to force an early Tigers timeout.

deMarrais compiled a kill to make the score, 7-1.

Shortly following its timeout, Missouri would piece together a 5-0 run draw to pull within three (9-6) of the Lady Vols.

Tennessee then grew its margin to 21-10 as deMarrais and Gedikoglu both posted rally stoppers to cut the lead to 24-16.

FOURTH SET (25-19 Tennessee, Tennessee wins 3-1)

Tennessee would jump ahead early in the fourth, using a 5-1 run to lead 10-6, before three straight Mizzou points forced a UT timeout (10-9).

The Lady Vols would quickly negate the Tiger run with a 5-0 run of their own, pushing their lead to six (15-9) midway through the set.

However, MU would continue to be a persistent threat, decreasing the Tennessee lead to three (18-15, 20-17) on multiple occasions.

A 4-1 Mizzou run would draw the Tigers within two, 21-19, forcing a Lady Vol timeout. Madilyn Sell and Gedikoglu combined for a block assist following an Iliff kill to come within a pair.

Tennessee then would register four straight points (25-19) to end the frame and secure the match.

GAME NOTES

• Jordan Iliff led the Tigers with 13 kills and 11 digs, registering her fourth double-double in 2023.
• Jordan Iliff has finished in double-digits attacking in seven-straight matches. She has also put up 10 or more kills in 16 matches this season.
• Janet deMarrais added 13 kills, three aces, three blocks and four digs Wednesday.
• Janet deMarrais tallied her 11th-straight double-digit kill match Wednesday and has recorded 10 or more kills 12 times this season.
• For Janet deMarrais, the three aces matched a career best set against Ole Miss on Oct. 15.
• Dilara Gedikoglu totaled nine kills Wednesday with three digs, two blocks and an assist.
• Morgan Isenberg added eight blocks to go with five kills for Mizzou.
• Morgan Isenberg has tallied five or more blocks 10 times in 2023. She has posted seven or more blocks in two of the last three matches.
• Freshman setter Sierra Dudley dished out 33 assists and 10 digs for her eighth career double-double outing. It marked her ninth-straight 30-plus assist match of the season and eighth double-digit dig contest in 2023.
• Libero Maya Sands scooped up 20 digs to complement four assists and two aces.
• For Maya Sands, the 20-dig outing was her 10th of the campaign. She has posted 20 or more digs in five of the last seven matches.
• Mizzou registered a season-best attendance figure of 3,297 for its Volleween match against #12 Tennessee. The Tigers have now posted consecutive 3,000-plus home crowds after welcoming 3,172 to Hearnes on Oct. 15 against Ole Miss.

LOOKING AHEAD 

• The Tigers next hit the road to face Ole Miss on Sunday.
• First serve is slated for a 1:30 p.m., CT in Oxford, Mississippi.
• The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.

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