Volleyball Drops Road Contest at #13 Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (10-7, 2-4 SEC) dropped a four-set decision (15-25, 25-19, 16-25, 22-25) to #13 Arkansas (15-2, 5-0 SEC) Sunday afternoon at Barnhill Arena.

Sophomore Janet deMarrais paced the Tigers with her first career double-double of 15 kills to go with a career-best 12 digs. The double-digit kill outing was the seventh straight for the outside hitter from Colleyville, Texas.

Jordan Iliff chipped in 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage to complement nine digs, four blocks and two aces.

FIRST SET (25-15 Arkansas, Arkansas leads 1-0)

The Razorbacks took an early 6-2 lead after four unanswered points.

Arkansas then added a 3-0 run to pull ahead 9-3 before growing the margin to 17-7.

Back-to-back block assists from Morgan Isenberg (2) along with Sierra Dudley and Iliff coupled with an Iliff termination cut the deficit to 23-14.

deMarrais added another kill to make the score 24-13 before Arkansas took the frame. She posted six kills to open the match Sunday.

SECOND SET (25-19 Missouri, Match tied 1-1)

After dropping the opening set, Mizzou hit .424 in set #2 to even the match at 1-1.

The Tigers flipped the tables, commencing the second frame with a 6-2 edge.

Colleen Finney and deMarrais combined for consecutive kills to make the advantage 10-4.

Arkansas then went on a 3-0 run to trim the lead to 11-8.

Mizzou then utilized a 7-0 rally to double its lead on Arkansas, 20-10.

A pair of kills from deMarrais brought on set point at 24-16 as the Razorbacks would fend it off three times before Iliff secured the stanza with a rally stopper.

deMarrais had six kills and seven digs during set #2 on a .286 clip to eclipse the double-double mark. Iliff chipped in five kills, hitting .571.

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

In the set, the Razorbacks rattled off five-straight points for a 10-4 lead which prompted a Mizzou timeout.

A rally stopper from Isenberg followed by a Razorbacks miscue cut the deficit to 13-10.

Arkansas then went on a 7-1 swing for a 20-11 lead.

Facing set point (24-14), the Tigers fended it off twice with a block assist by the tandem of Dudley and Finney followed by a kill from deMarrais before Arkansas increased its lead in the match to 2-1.

FOURTH SET (25-22 Arkansas, Arkansas wins 3-1)

The Razorbacks once again opened with a quick start, coming out with a 10-3 lead.

A 6-1 run from the Tigers trimmed the edge to 11-9. Dilara Gedikoglu and Iliff each had a kill and an ace, respectively, during the sequence.

Mizzou then took a timeout after three-straight points from Arkansas widened the gap to 17-11.

The Tigers then responded with a 4-0 run to trim the lead to 18-16 and bring on a Razorbacks timeout.

Arkansas then regrew its advantage to 23-18 which Mizzou cut to 23-21 after consecutive block assists capped a 3-0 rally.

deMarrais added a kill to keep the Tigers within two (24-22) before Arkansas won the match on a Jillian Gillen kill.

MATCH NOTES

• Sophomore Janet deMarrais paced the Tigers with her first career double-double of 15 kills to go with a career-best 12 digs.
• The double-digit kill outing was the seventh straight for Janet deMarrais, an outside hitter from Colleyville, Texas. It also was her eighth 10-plus kill match in 2023.
• Jordan Iliff chipped in 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage to complement nine digs, four blocks and two aces.
• For Jordan Iliff, it marked her third-straight double-digit kill match (12 in 2023).
• Dilara Gedikoglu finished with eight kills and 13 digs with two blocks and an assist.
• Sierra Dudley passed out 38 assists with 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season.
• Morgan Isenberg led the Tigers with six blocks to go with four kills.
• Colleen Finney finished with four blocks and three kills.
• Libero Maya Sands led four Tigers in double-digits defensively with 24 digs to go with two assists.
• For Maya Sands, it marked her eighth 20-plus dig outing this season and third straight.
• Lauren Forbes chipped in four digs.
• Mizzou out blocked Arkansas, 10-7, Sunday.

LOOKING AHEAD

• Mizzou next travels to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to face the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, Oct. 11. First serve at Foster Auditorium is set for 7 p.m., CT.
• The match will be streamed on SEC Network.
• The Tigers then welcome Ole Miss to Columbia, Missouri, on Sunday, Oct. 15 for the MU Healthcare Breast Cancer Awareness Match. The match will commence at 3 p.m., CT.
• Fans in attendance can receive Pink T-Shirts and Shakers, while supplies last, along with post-match autographs.

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• Single-Match and Season Tickets for Mizzou Volleyball are currently on sale now at mutigers.com/feature/VBTix.