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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu registered 17 kills as the University of Missouri Volleyball team (17-11, 9-8 SEC) fell to #12 Kentucky (17-7, 15-1 SEC) in four sets (12-25, 15-25, 25-18, 21-25) Sunday afternoon at Rupp Arena.
Gedikoglu, an outside hitter from Alanya, Turkey, hit .371 for her fifth double-digit kill match in the past six matches.
She has now posted 17 kills in both meetings with Kentucky this season, first notching the mark against the Wildcats on Oct. 6. Gedikoglu has also finished in double-digits attacking 16 times this season.
Jordan Iliff chipped in 12 kills with eight digs and three blocks Sunday. Janet deMarrais finished with nine terminations to go with a pair of assists.
Colleen Finney tallied seven kills on an .875 hitting percentage (7 kills on 8 attacks with no errors) while Morgan Isenberg compiled five kills, three blocks, two digs and an assist.
FIRST SET (25-12 Kentucky, Kentucky leads 1-0)
The Wildcats opened the match with a 6-0 lead, prompting an early Mizzou timeout.
Iliff then got the Tigers on the board with a kill following the stoppage before a deMarrais rally stopper trimmed the early deficit to 7-4.
Gedikoglu then blasted a kill to cut the margin in half, 12-6.
Kentucky utilized a 4-0 run to pull ahead 19-8 before a 5-1 run brought on set point (24-10).
Mizzou fended off set point twice with a deMarrais kill and a Wildcat miscue before Kentucky took the opening frame, 25-12.
The Wildcats hit .591 in the first set Sunday.
SECOND SET (25-15 Kentucky, Kentucky leads 2-0)
Gedikoglu notched a kill to cut into Kentucky’s early lead 4-2 before a Wildcats error kept the set at a two-point edge (6-4).
Kentucky then went on a 3-0 rally to pull ahead 13-7. The Wildcats headed into the media timeout leading 15-9.
A pair of Gedikoglu rally stoppers trimmed the UK lead to six (16-10) before consecutive kills by Azhani Tealer widened the gap to 19-11.
Finney added a kill to make the score 23-15 before Kentucky grabbed the frame with a pair of kills.
THIRD SET (25-18 Mizzou, Kentucky leads 2-1)
With its back against the wall, Mizzou hit .406 in set #3 to secure the stanza and force a fourth set.
The third frame featured six ties including a 5-5 and 6-6 score line early.
The Tigers earned some breathing room with a 3-0 run (11-9) that featured kills by Gedikoglu (2) and Iliff.
Isenberg connected on a kill to push the Mizzou edge to 15-13 at the media break and spark a 3-0 run. Iliff and deMarrais each added terminations to make the score 17-13.
The Tigers then posted five-straight points to extend their advantage to 23-15. Finney added a kill for set point (24-16).
The Wildcats would score twice more before Gedikoglu’s sixth kill of the set (.500 hitting percentage in set #3) secured the frame (25-18).
Finney (1.000 hitting percentage), Iliff and deMarrais (.286) each chipped in three kills during the set.
FOURTH SET (25-21 Kentucky, Kentucky wins 3-1)
The fourth set Sunday featured 10 ties and three lead changes. Missouri continued its momentum from the third, hitting .294 in the final set Sunday.
Mizzou took the first two points before an Iliff kill knotted the set at 10-10. Gedikoglu and Finney each posted rally stoppers to keep the frame tied (11-11 and 12-12).
The Wildcats then went on a 3-0 run for a 15-12 lead at the media timeout.
Gedikoglu and Iliff each connected on kills to keep it a two-point Wildcats advantage (15-13, 16-14).
UK then went on a 3-0 run to increase its lead to 21-16 and bring on Missouri’s second and final timeout.
Gedikoglu added two more kills to cut the score to 22-20 before the Wildcats responded with two points of their own for match point (24-20).
After a service error, Kentucky claimed the match, 25-21, on a Brooklyn DeLeye kill.
MATCH NOTES
- Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu registered a team-best 17 kills on a .371 hitting percentage for her fifth double-digit kill match in the past six matches. Gedikoglu has also finished in double-digits attacking 16 times this season.
- Dilara Gedikoglu has posted 17 kills in both meetings with Kentucky this season, first notching the mark against the Wildcats on Oct. 6.
- Dilara Gedikoglu has compiled five or more digs in each of the last five matches.
- Jordan Iliff chipped in 12 kills with eight digs and three blocks. She has now posted double-digit kills in 13 of the last 14 matches.
- Jordan Iliff has totaled eight or more digs in each of the last four matches for Mizzou.
- Janet deMarrais finished with nine terminations to go with a pair of assists. The outing snapped her double-digit kill streak at 17 consecutive matches.
- Colleen Finney finished with seven kills on an efficient .875 hitting percentage (7 kills on 8 attacks with no errors). She has hit .733 or higher in two of the last three matches.
- Morgan Isenberg compiled five kills, three blocks, two digs and an assist. She has posted three or more assists in each of the last two matches for Missouri.
- Sierra Dudley tallied 42 assists to go with four digs Sunday. She has posted 20 or more assists in 16 straight matches.
- Sierra Dudley has finished with 40 or more assists 16 times in 2023 including six of the last seven matches.
- Sarah White added three assists Sunday.
- Libero Maya Sands grabbed 18 digs Sunday. She has registered double-digit digs in every match this season for Mizzou.
- Sunday’s match marked Mizzou’s second of two meetings against Kentucky. The Wildcats took the regular-season series, 2-0.
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LOOKING AHEAD
- Missouri next hits the road for its regular season finale, traveling to Athens, Georgia, to face the Bulldogs for the second time this season on Saturday, Nov. 25.
- First serve is set for 1 p.m., CT. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
- Mizzou will then watch the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 26 to see the Tigers 2023 postseason destination. The show will be broadcasted on ESPNU at 5 p.m., CT.
