Volleyball Edges Georgia in Five Sets Sunday

COLUMBIA, Mo – The University of Missouri Tigers (15-9, 7-6 SEC) outlasted Georgia (15-9, 6-6 SEC) in a five-set battle (16-25, 25-23, 29-31, 25-23, 15-13) Sunday afternoon at the Hearnes Center. 

The Tigers win completed a 2-0 weekend to start a five-match homestand, defeating a Georgia squad fresh off a win over No. 8 Arkansas.

With the win, Mizzou is now one victory from matching the 2020 campaign (16-8, 15-7 SEC). The Tigers also surpassed their combined win total of 14 matches over the past two seasons. 

Missouri was led in the match by junior Jordan Iliff who compiled a career-high 22 kills (.289) to go along with seven digs, five blocks, two aces, and an assist. The match marked Iliff’s eighth 15-plus kill outing in 2023. 

Junior Morgan Isenberg also set a career-high of her own with 10 blocks. She is the first Tiger to post 10 blocks since Trista Strasser recorded the feat against Northern Kentucky on Aug. 26, 2022. Isenberg, a Wildwood, Missouri, native, also added seven kills in Sunday’s victory. 

Sophomore Janet deMarrais contributed 12 kills, extending her double-digit kill streak to 14 straight matches. The outside hitter also put up five digs and two blocks. 

Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu recorded her second straight 11-kill outing to go along with nine digs, five assists, and an ace.

Freshman setter Sierra Dudley registered her 12th 40-plus assist performance of the season with 50, playing a big role in the victory with eight digs, three kills, two blocks, and an ace as Mizzou hit .260 as a team. 

Colleen Finney chipped in nine kills on a .529 clip to accompany a pair of blocks.

FIRST SET (Georgia 25-16, Georgia leads 1-0)

Trailing early, Iliff posted four kills, while Finney added one to cut the Georgia lead to 8-7. 

From there Georgia would put together a 7-3 run, with kills from deMarrais and Iliff (2) helping to slow the damage and bring the score to 15-10 in favor of the Bulldogs at the media stoppage. 

After the break, a 4-1 run from the Bulldogs would force Missouri to take its first timeout. 

Iliff added her set-leading eighth kill to trim the deficit to 20-13. 

Georgia would close out the set from there, clinching with back-to-back points.

Mizzou was led by Iliff’s eight kills in the opening set, hitting .583. 

SECOND SET (Missouri 25-23, Match Tied 1-1)

In the second set, Iliff picked up right where she left off, scoring two kills for the Tigers early before an ace from Dudley capped off the 3-1 start.

After a 3-0 Georgia run gave the Bulldogs their first lead, Missouri would respond with a pair via a block assist from Isenberg and Iliff followed by a Gedikoglu kill, tying the set at six apiece.

Trailing 12-9, Mizzou would rattle off three straight to even the frame thanks to a Bulldogs service error, followed by consecutive blocks with Isenberg in on both, accompanied by deMarrais and Iliff, respectively. 

Following a two-point Bulldog response, the Tigers went on another three-point rally featuring terminations by Iliff and Gedikolgu to take a 15-14 advantage into the media timeout.

Mizzou would make the three-point run a 5-0 push with two more out of the break, prompting the first Georgia timeout.

The two sides went on to trade points up until a Finney kill and Bulldog setting error provided Missouri a 21-17 lead and forced Georgia to call for a second stoppage.

Out of the timeout, Gedikoglu served an ace to stretch the advantage to 22-17.

Consecutive Georgia points cut Missouri’s lead to 23-20 and brought on its first timeout.

deMarrais dropped a kill to put the Tigers at set point, 24-20, which Georgia fended off three times before Mizzou claimed the set to even the match at 1-1. 

THIRD SET (Georgia 31-29, Georgia leads 2-1)

Missouri carried the momentum into the third set, starting off with a 7-2 run.

Four straight from the Bulldogs then shrunk Missouri’s lead down to 8-7.

Missouri and Georgia would find themselves locked in a stalemate, exchanging points, before a tie score line of 12-12. 

Isenberg contributed a kill to put Mizzou in front 16-15 before three-straight Georgia points gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the third.

Missouri responded following a timeout with a kill from deMarrais then an Iliff ace tied the third at 18-18. Mizzou stretched the run with two-straight Gedikoglu kills, putting the Tigers back in front 20-18 and bringing on Georgia’s second timeout.

The Bulldogs added one out of the stoppage before Gedikoglu poured on another kill.

A termination from deMarrais gave Mizzou a 22-20 lead. Georgia answered with a pair to tie the set once again and force another Missouri timeout.

Georgia would fight back to tie it at 22-22 but another kill from deMarrais would put the Tigers back on top. 

The back-and-forth battle would continue as an Isenberg kill was quickly answered by the Bulldogs to tie things back up at 24. 

Mizzou had another opportunity at set point after a Lauren Forbes ace, but Georgia would tie it again at 26-26.

Finney added a kill to put the Tigers back on top before the Bulldogs would tie it once more at 27-27.

A few points later, it was Georgia who found themselves with the opportunity to win the third, but a Finney kill tied the match at 29 apiece.

Georgia then was able to pull ahead and closed out the set with a service ace, winning 31-29. 

The third stanza featured 17 ties and six lead changes. 

FOURTH SET (Mizzou 25-23, Match Tied 2-2)

Mizzou would jump ahead early going up 3-1, with Dudley assisting or scoring on each of the team’s first three points. 

A service ace by Forbes put the Tigers ahead 6-3. 

Georgia would go on a run, scoring six unanswered to take a 9-6 lead.  

An Iliff kill stopped the Georgia run, followed by a kill from Gedikoglu along with an error from Georgia would tie the set at 9-9. 

The two teams would continue to go back and forth until three straight blocks, a solo by Isenberg, then two in a row featuring the duo of Isenberg and Iliff put the Tigers up 16-13 and brought on Georgia’s first timeout. 

Missouri would widen the margin after an Iliff kill and a service ace on back-to-back points made the score 19-15 and prompted a Bulldogs timeout. 

Three straight Georgia points then brought Mizzou’s lead down to 21-19.

A pair of kills from deMarrais gave Missouri a 23-20 advantage.

After a Georgia point, Iliff slammed her 19th kill of the afternoon to give Mizzou set point (24-21).

The Bulldogs rallied for two straight points, cutting Missouri’s lead to 24-23 and forcing the Tigers to call timeout.

An Isenberg kill then secured the fourth for Mizzou. 

As a team, Missouri hit at a clip of .345 in the fourth set.

FIFTH SET (Mizzou 15-13, Mizzou wins 3-2)

Georgia came out hot in the fifth and took a quick lead, but a block from Isenberg and Dudley coupled with a kill from Iliff tied the decisive frame at 3-3.

The two teams would go on to exchange points before a monster block from Finney put the Tigers ahead, 6-5. 

Gedikoglu would then add her third kill of the set to make the Missouri lead 7-6.

Georgia answered with a point before a service error gave Mizzou an 8-7 edge entering the switch over. 

The Bulldogs then scored three unanswered out of the break to take a 10-8 lead and force a Mizzou timeout. 

Out of the stoppage, the Tigers rallied off two straight to tie the set at 10.

Missouri then pulled ahead thanks to a pair of Georgia errors, prompting a Georgia timeout at 12-11.

Georgia would even the fifth at 12-12 after a Sophie Fischer kill before an Iliff rally stopper made it match point (14-12).

Iliff then hammered home her career-best 22nd kill after the Bulldogs came within one to secure the match (15-13). 

Missouri clinched the match hitting .312 as a group in the fifth frame. 

GAME NOTES

• Jordan Iliff had a career-high 22 kills (.289), with the final one coming on the match clincher.
• The match was Jordan Iliff‘s eighth 15-plus kill outing of the season and extended her double-digit kill streak to 10 matches.
• Jordan Iliff also registered seven digs, five blocks, two aces, and an assist Sunday. 
• Junior Morgan Isenberg registered 10 blocks, marking a new career best.
• Morgan Isenberg’s 10-block match marks the first time for Mizzou since Trista Strasser recorded the feat against Northern Kentucky on Aug. 26, 2022.  
• Morgan Isenberg also added seven kills on a .500 clip. 
• Freshman setter Sierra Dudley recorded 50 assists, her 12th match with at least 40 assists (third 50-plus assist match) this season.
• Sierra Dudley also tallied eight digs, three kills, two blocks, and an ace.
• Sophomore Janet deMarrais extended her double-digit kill streak to 14 matches with 12 on Sunday. She also put up five digs and two blocks.
• Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu recorded her second straight 11-kill outing to go along with nine digs, five assists, and an ace.
• Graduate student Colleen Finney added nine kills, connecting at a rate of .529.
• Colleen Finney has now posted seven, eight and nine kills, respectively, over Mizzou’s last three matches. Sunday also marked her second nine-kill match in 2023. 
• Missouri moves to 11-9 all-time against Georgia.
• The Tigers win completed a 2-0 SEC weekend to start a five-match homestand, defeating a Georgia squad fresh off a win over No. 8 Arkansas. It marked Mizzou’s second 2-0 SEC week this season.
• With the win, Mizzou is now one victory from matching the 2020 campaign (16-8, 15-7 SEC). The Tigers also surpassed their combined win total of 14 matches over the past two seasons. 
   

LOOKING AHEAD

• Missouri’s five-match homestand at the Hearnes Center rolls on as the Tigers host Texas A&M on Friday, Nov. 10. First serve is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. 
• Fans with tickets to the men’s basketball game against Memphis will receive free admission to the volleyball match against Texas A&M.
• Parking for the Friday, Nov. 10 volleyball match will be in the TAPS garage.

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