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LINCOLN, Neb. – The eighth seeded University of Missouri volleyball team (18-13) fell to No. 1 overall seed and top ranked Nebraska (30-1) in the Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
In front of a crowd of 8,640, the Huskers registered a 25-14, 25-19, 25-21 sweep of Mizzou to advance to the 2023 NCAA Regional Semifinals.
Sophomore Janet deMarrais paced the Mizzou offense with a match-high 13 kills, four digs and a block while graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu added 12 kills, six digs and a block in her final collegiate volleyball match.
FIRST SET (25-14 Nebraska, Nebraska leads 1-0)
The Cornhuskers took the opening seven points Saturday before committing a service error to get Mizzou on the board.
Gedikoglu slammed a kill before a Nebraska error to cut the early edge to 9-5.
The Tigers then pulled within two (10-8) after a 3-0 run capped by a Lauren Forbes ace.
Gedikoglu added another termination before an 8-1 Huskers run widened the margin to 20-11.
deMarrais and Morgan Isenberg tallied a block assist (23-13) before Nebraska secured the opening frame, 25-14.
SECOND SET (25-19 Nebraska, Nebraska leads 2-0)
The Huskers took an early 9-4 lead after a 6-1 run early.
Gedikoglu connected on back-to-back kills to trim the lead to 9-7.
Nebraska then scored three straight for a 13-8 advantage and went into the media stoppage leading 15-10.
The Huskers then extended their lead to 20-12 after a 5-0 rally.
Iliff and Gedikoglu then registered rally stoppers before a Nebraska error to make the score 22-17.
The Huskers then brought on set point (24-17) after a kill by Ally Batenhorst followed by a block assist.
Mizzou fended it off twice with a kill by Colleen Finney and then a block assist by Sierra Dudley and Finney.
Nebraska then secured the set on a service error.
deMarrais compiled six kills (.286) in the second stanza while Gedikoglu added five.
Mizzou hit a .216 in the second.
THIRD SET (25-21 Nebraska, Nebraska wins 3-0)
Mizzou continued to fight and went toe to toe with Nebraska in a third set that featured 14 ties and seven lead changes.
Kills from Gedikoglu knotted the frame early at 4-4 and 5-5.
A 3-0 Tigers run then pulled Mizzou ahead 8-7 before a Finney rally stopper kept the Mizzou lead at one (9-8).
The Huskers answered with four-straight points to go up 12-9.
Mizzou then went on a 5-0 run to retake the lead, 15-14. deMarrais (2) and Jordan Iliff each had kills while Dudley compiled an ace before Iliff and Isenberg combined for a block during the sequence.
Gedikoglu (2) and Iliff each compiled kills to keep the set all square (17-17, 18-18, 19-19).
Dudley then added a setter kill for a 20-19 edge.
The Huskers then claimed the match on a 6-1 run (25-21).
MATCH NOTES
- Sophomore Janet deMarrais paced the Mizzou offense with a match-high 13 kills, four digs and a block.
- Janet deMarrais has posted nine or more kills in each of the last 20 contests for the Tigers and double-digit kills in each of the last three.
- Janet deMarrais totaled 16 kills over this weekend’s 2023 NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds in Lincoln, Nebraska.
- Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu added 12 kills, six digs and a block in her final collegiate volleyball match.
- Dilara Gedikoglu finishes her collegiate volleyball career with 993 kills and 958 digs.
- Jordan Iliff, a 2023 All-SEC Selection, compiled six kills Saturday to go with two blocks and five digs.
- Colleen Finney finished with three kills, two blocks and a dig.
- Naomi Franco added a kill and a dig Saturday.
- 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team selection Sierra Dudley tallied 29 assists, eight digs, one block, one ace and one kill.
- Sierra Dudley has now posted 20 or more assists in 19 straight matches this season.
- Sarah White chipped in three assists Saturday.
- Morgan Isenberg paced the Tigers with a trio of blocks. She finishes the season second overall in a Mizzou single-season with 131 block assists.
- 2023 SEC Libero of the Year Maya Sands posted nine digs with three assists.
- Maya Sands has posted nine digs in each of her three career NCAA Tournament matches. She finishes the season with a career-best 542 digs which ranks fifth in Mizzou history for a single-season.
- 2023 SEC Community Service Team selection Lauren Forbes played in her final collegiate volleyball match Saturday, grabbing two digs and an ace.
- Lauren Forbes concludes her collegiate career with 435 digs and 37 aces (career-best 16 aces in 2023).
- Mizzou is now 18-18 in program history at the NCAA Tournament and has advanced to the Second Round in eight-straight Tournament appearances dating back to 2013.
- Mizzou appeared in its 18th NCAA Tournament this weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska.
- The Tigers have advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round in four-straight appearances in the Cornhuskers State.
- 2023 SEC Coach of the Year Dawn Sullivan is now 2-3 in her career at the NCAA Tournament as a head coach.
- Mizzou concludes the 2023 season with an 18-13 record which doubles the overall win total from 2022.
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