Volleyball Earns Second-Straight Sweep to Improve to 5-0

Mizzou Volleyball vs South Dakota at the Hearnes Center on September 2, 2023. (Photo by Reesi Nesbitt)

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (5-0) completed its second sweep in as many days, taking down South Dakota (1-3), 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-22) Saturday afternoon at the Hearnes Center.

With the win, Mizzou improved to 5-0 ahead of its Tiger Invitational finale with #3-ranked Louisville on Sunday.

Junior Jordan Iliff led Missouri with 12 kills on a .524 clip to go along with seven blocks, four digs and two aces. Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu added 10 kills with three digs.

Sophomore libero Maya Sands led the defense once again with a match-high 13 digs.

Freshman setter Sierra Dudley continued her impressive start to her collegiate career, registering 28 assists with four digs and three blocks, which put her assist total for the season at 200.

Mizzou controlled the blocks category on South Dakota, 12-3, led by a career-best outing from Morgan Isenberg. Isenberg, a junior from Wildwood, Missouri, posted nine blocks to go along with five kills (.400) Saturday.

FIRST SET (25-17 Mizzou, Mizzou leads 1-0)

The first set was a back and forth affair early as the Tigers would go up 12-9 after consecutive aces from Iliff coupled with a block assist by Colleen Finney and Iliff.

The Tigers would widen the margin to 17-12 after a 3-0 run that featured kills by Gedikoglu and an ace by Columbia freshman Kaylen Rush.

Mizzou kept the pressure on, increasing the lead to seven (21-14) after a 4-0 spurt.

The Tigers then clinched the opening set, 25-17, after consecutive aces from Sands following a Janet deMarrais rally stopper.

SECOND SET (25-19 Mizzou, Mizzou leads 2-0)

Mizzou would jump ahead to a 7-2 lead in the middle set Saturday. The Tigers hit a match-best .359 during the stanza.

South Dakota then rallied to tie the set at 12-12 and 14-14, but Missouri responded with five straight points to pull ahead 19-14. Gedikoglu notched a pair of kills during the sequence along with a Dudley ace and an Isenberg kill.

Mizzou clinched the set on a 4-1 run (25-19) capped by a block assist from the tandem of Finney and Dudley.

THIRD SET (25-22 Mizzou, Mizzou wins 3-0)

Mizzou once again started the set hot, jumping out to a 7-3 edge.

Kills from Gedikoglu and Iliff after a Coyotes service error brought on the media timeout at 15-11.

Kimani Johnson connected on a rally stopper for an 18-15 advantage before South Dakota knotted the frame at 19-19 and 20-20.

A final 5-2 push claimed the Tigers victory at 25-22.

Iliff compiled five kills (.833) during the third set Saturday.

MATCH NOTES

With the win, the Tigers move to 4-1 all time against South Dakota.
The 5-0 start to the season is Mizzou’s best start since the 2019 campaign.
Missouri picked up back-to-back 3-0 sweeps for the first time since the 2022 Mizzou Invitational where the Tigers earned wins over Missouri State and Northwestern State to wrap the tournament Sept. 2-3.
With its second-straight 3-0 sweep, Mizzou has now won eight consecutive sets dating back to the Mizzou Classic finale with Colgate on Aug. 27.
Junior Jordan Iliff led Missouri with 12 kills on a .524 clip to go along with seven blocks, four digs and two aces.
Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu added 10 kills with three digs.
Jordan Iliff set a new career high in blocks with seven, which surpassed her previous record of five set against Auburn on Oct. 16, 2022.
Morgan Isenberg registered a career high nine blocks to go along with five kills (.400).
Freshman setter Sierra Dudley continued her impressive start to her collegiate career, registering 28 assists with four digs and three blocks, which put her assist total for the season at 200.
Sophomore libero Maya Sands led the defense once again with a match-high 13 digs. She also had three aces.
Setter Luisa Melloni made her Mizzou debut, tallying a pair of assists.

UP NEXT

Mizzou wraps the 2023 Tiger Invitational Sunday afternoon with a marquee matchup against #3-ranked Louisville. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m., CT at the Hearnes Center. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics