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Volleyball Headed to Ole Miss for Sunday Matinee

KTGR

Madilyn Sell_2023_BANNER_MIZZOUVB_2023_20231025_VB_vsTennessee--9

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (13-8, 5-5 SEC) is set to take on Ole Miss (8-14, 2-9 SEC) Sunday in Oxford, Mississippi. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m., CT at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center. 

The contest will wrap the SEC series between Mizzou and Ole Miss after the Tigers won the initial meeting in five sets, Oct. 15 at the Hearnes Center.

The match will be televised on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada and Brittney McLaughlin on the broadcast.

Missouri is currently ranked 30th for RPI (Rating Percentage Index).

With three more wins, the Tigers can match their overall win total from 2020 (16-8, 15-7 SEC). 

SERIES HISTORY

  • Missouri leads the all-time series against Ole Miss, 18-10. 

  • The Tigers most recently faced the Rebels in Columbia, Missouri, earlier this month defeating Ole Miss in a five-set thriller at home on Oct. 29. 

  • Before that meeting, the Tigers had lost four-straight to Ole Miss. 

  • In the Tigers last trip to Oxford, Mississippi, Mizzou lost to the Rebels, 3-2 (Oct. 22, 2022). The Tigers dropped a 3-0 decision the day prior (Oct. 21, 2022) in 2022.

  • Mizzou is 7-5 all-time on the road against Ole Miss.

  • In the all-time series, Missouri claimed seven-straight victories over the Rebels, from Nov. 16, 2014, to Oct. 12, 2018

TENNESSEE RECAP 

  • Missouri most recently fell to #12 Tennessee, 3-1, at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday (Oct. 25). 

  • A season-best crowd of 3,297 attended Missouri’s Volleween matchup against #12 Tennessee. The Tigers have now posted consecutive 3,000-plus home crowds after welcoming 3,172 to Hearnes on Oct. 15 against Ole Miss.

  • Jordan Iliff led the way for Missouri, pacing the Tigers with 13 kills for her seventh-straight double-digit kill match. The junior also tacked on 11 digs for her fourth double-double in 2023.

  • Sophomore Janet deMarrais matched Iliff with 13 kills on the night to go along with three blocks, four digs and a career-high three aces.

  • Dilara Gedikoglu contributed nine kills on the outside for Mizzou in addition to three digs, two blocks and an assist.

  • Morgan Isenberg clocked five kills and eight blocks, marking the 10th time she has totaled five-plus blocks this season. 

  • Freshman setter Sierra Dudley recorded her eighth career double-double, handing out 33 assists and 10 digs.

  • Libero Maya Sands snagged 20 digs for her 10th 20-dig outing of the campaign

IT’S JO TIME

  •  Jordan Iliff posted her seventh-straight match with 10 or more kills against #12 Tennessee, tallying 13 kills on Oct. 25. Iliff also added 11 digs for her fourth double-double in 2023.

  • The junior earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday (Oct. 23), after recording 13 kills (.357), eight digs, two blocks and a pair of aces in a 3-0 road sweep over then-ranked #23 Auburn on Oct. 20. 

  • The St. Louis, native, has now totaled 10 or more kills in 16 matches this season. 

  • In Missouri’s 3-2 win over Ole Miss on Oct. 15, the right side did it all for Mizzou, tallying 11 kills, nine digs, four blocks and an ace.

  • Iliff opened October with consecutive 16-kill matches (Texas A&M and Kentucky) and consecutive 12-kill matches (Arkansas and Alabama), before her 11-kill match against Ole Miss and 13-kill outings at #23 Auburn and then against #12 Tennessee. 

  • She leads Missouri in the front row this season with 257 kills (3.29 kill/set, 13th in the SEC). Iliff also ranks sixth in the SEC with 309.5 points (3.97 points/set, 10th in the SEC).

  • Iliff has logged 17 total aces in SEC play which ranks fourth in the league for aces (0.45 aces/set, 17 aces, eighth).

  • The six-rotation hitter has also provided a steady presence for Mizzou in the back row, recording 16 matches with five-plus digs. 

  • The junior has posted eight or more digs in each of the last nine matches, including a career-high 15 against South Carolina (Sept. 24), along with 14 at Texas A&M (Oct. 1).

  • Iliff tallied a career-best day against the Gamecocks (Sept. 24), logging 21 kills on an impressive .455 clip (one error on 44 total attacks). 

  • The pin hitter started the season with a bang, logging double-digit kills in five consecutive matches to start the 2023 campaign, from Aug. 25 through Sept. 2. Iliff commenced the season with 19 kills in the 2023 opener against Illinois State (Aug. 25)

OUR LIBERO

  •  Maya Sands has provided a steady presence for Mizzou behind the 10-foot line, registering 20-plus digs in five of the last seven matches. 

  • Most recently, the sophomore posted a 20-dig night against #12 Tennessee on Oct. 25 to go with two aces and four assists. 

  • During the 2023 campaign, Sands has tallied 20 or more digs in 10 matches, including five performances with 24-plus digs. 

  • The libero has tallied 374 digs in 2023 after compiling 412 digs her freshman season at UNLV. 

  • Sands was previously named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after she grabbed a career-high 30 digs to go with two assists and an ace against Ole Miss (Oct. 15). The outing was the second-highest dig total in the SEC this season.

  • She currently leads the conference with 4.73 digs per set (38th in the NCAA) and 374 digs (51st in the NCAA), posting double-digit digs in every match of the season.

  • In league play, she paces the conference with 189 digs (4.97 digs/set).

  • The libero also paces the Tigers behind the service line with 28 aces (0.35 aces/set, fourth in the SEC). She has tallied a season-best three aces in four separate matches this season.

FRESHMAN SETTER

  • Sierra Dudley dished out 33 assists against #12 Tennessee on Oct. 25, marking her ninth-straight 30-plus assist match of the season. Dudley also contributed 10 digs for her eighth career double-double outing. 

  • The setter earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after she registered a career-best 60 assists and 12 digs against Ole Miss on Oct. 15. 

  • Dudley’s stat column against the Rebels not only marked the second-highest total assists for an SEC setter this season in conference play, but also was the most assists by a Tiger setter since Andrea Fuentes registered 62 assists against Alabama on Nov. 8, 2019. 

  • The freshman from Spartanburg, South Carolina, dished out 47 assists to lead Mizzou to a season-best team hitting percentage of .354 against the Crimson Tide (Oct.11). The 47 assists are the second most for an SEC setter over three sets this season in conference play.

  • Dudley has recorded 10 40-plus assist performances during the 2023 campaign, including eight matches with at least 45 assists. 

  • She ranks fourth in the SEC with 764 assists (9.92 assists/set, sixth in the SEC) this season. 

  • In conference play, she is fourth with 10.65 assists per set and 394 assists. 

  • In the back row, Dudley has logged 17 matches with five or more digs, including securing double-digit digs eight times this season.

  • Her time as a Tiger got off to an impressive start as Dudley registered 52 assists in Missouri’s third match of the season against Colgate (Aug 27). She combined for 146 assists over the season-opening Mizzou Classic (Aug. 25-27

DEMARRAIS ALL THE WAY 

  • Janet deMarrais continued her offensive hot streak, clocking 13 kills in the Tigers’ contest against #12 Tennessee on Oct. 12. The outing marked her 11th-straight double-digit kill match (12 in 2023). 

  • The sophomore also added three aces, three blocks and four digs on Wednesday. The trio of aces matched a career-best set against Ole Miss on Oct. 15. She has registered 11 total aces so far during the 2023 campaign. 

  • deMarrais totaled 54 kills (6.75 kills/set) and 20 digs (2.50 digs/set) on a .317 hitting percentage during the Tigers’ weekend against Alabama (Oct. 11) and Ole Miss (Oct. 15). 

  • She recorded career-best kill outings over the pair of matches. deMarrais led Mizzou attacking with a then career-best 24 kills on a .400 clip with seven digs and two aces in Mizzou’s road win over Alabama on Oct. 11.

  • deMarrais then registered a double-double, the second of her career, setting a career-high 30 kills (.269) and 13 digs to go along with two blocks and an ace in the Tigers win over Ole Miss on Oct. 15. 

  • She has tallied six or more digs in eight of the last nine matches, including a career-best 13 digs against Ole Miss (Oct. 15). 

  • The Colleyville, Texas, native, registered 15 or more kills in five-straight contests (Oct. 1 through Oct. 15), including 18 in her home state at Texas A&M on Oct. 1. 

  • deMarrais has appeared in the Mizzou starting lineup in each of the last 10 matches, dating back to the Tigers’ SEC opener at Tennessee on Sept. 20. She previously had started in Mizzou’s first two matches of the season Aug. 25-26 (Illinois State and Central Arkansas) at the Mizzou Classic.

  • The sophomore ranks third in the SEC in league play with 4.24 kills/set (161 kills) and 4.84 points per set (184.0 points).

  • Overall, deMarrais ranks 15th in the league for kills per set (3.05, 226 kills).

MO MAKING MOVES

  • Morgan Isenberg has been a force out of the middle for Mizzou, logging five or more blocks 10 times in the 2023 campaign, including eight blocks against #12 Tennessee on Oct. 25. The junior has posted seven or more blocks in two of the last three matches.

  • Isenberg also clocked five kills against #12 Tennessee. The middle blocker has registered 13 matches with five or more kills this season, including three double-digit kill contests. 

  • She registered eight kills on a .727 hitting clip at #23 Auburn on Oct. 20 while adding three blocks and career-best matching two digs.

  • The outing marked the middle blocker’s second-straight eight-kill match. The hitting percentage was Mizzou’s highest since Kenna Sauer posted a mark of .700 at Ole Miss on Nov. 21, 2020.

  • Isenberg registered seven blocks and eight kills (.429) in Mizzou’s win over the Rebels on Oct. 15.

  • The middle blocker ranks 26th nationally and second in the SEC with 100 total blocks (1.28 blocks/set, fifth in the SEC, 38th in the NCAA) this season.

  • In SEC play, she ranks fifth with 1.29 blocks/set (49 blocks).

  • Isenberg has recorded three-plus blocks in 18 matches during the 2023 campaign including each of the last nine contests. 

  • At the net, the Wildwood, Missouri, native, has tallied five or more blocks a total of 10 times in 2023, including a career-high nine against South Dakota (Sept. 2).

  • Isenberg notched a career-best 16 kills on a .444 hitting clip to help the Tigers secure a five-set win over Xavier on Sept. 9

GEDIKOGLU, MORE THAN JUST A FUN NAME TO SAY

  • Dilara Gedikoglu notched nine kills against #12 Tennessee on Oct. 25, while adding three digs, two blocks and an assist.

  • Gedikoglu compiled eight-plus digs in eight-straight matches, spanning from Sept. 24 through Oct. 20. 

  • She compiled her seventh double-double of the season in the Tigers’ win over Ole Miss on Oct. 15, recording 14 kills (.313 hitting percentage) and 12 digs. Gedikoglu also added a block and an ace against the Rebels.

  • The graduate student has finished in double-digits attacking 11 times this season including 14 kills four times. 

  • The Alanya, Turkey, native, compiled a season-best 20 kills to go with 13 digs in her third match as a Tiger against Colgate on Aug. 27.

  • The outside hitter ranks second and third, respectively, on Mizzou with 191 digs (2.45 digs/set) and 210 kills (2.69 kills/set).

  • In her career, Gedikoglu enters Sunday’s match with 894 kills and 887 digs.

APPROACHING 500 CAREER KILLS 

  • Colleen Finney and Naomi Franco are both less than two career kills away 500 in their collegiate careers.

  • Finney, a graduate student from Blythewood, South Carolina, has started in all 21 contests this season. She has compiled 91 kills (1.18 kills/set) in 2023 and is just one (499) kill shy of 500 in her career. Finney totaled 408 kills over three seasons at Clemson. 

  • Franco, a senior from Fayetteville, Georgia, has registered 19 kills over 12 matches this season with Mizzou. She notched 479 kills over three seasons at Syracuse and is two kills away from 500 (498) in her career.

ABOUT THE TIGERS

  • Head coach Dawn Sullivan enters her first season at the helm of the program in 2023.
  • Sullivan amassed a 109-38 (.741) mark over five seasons at UNLV, leading the Rebels to five-straight postseason appearances and a pair of Mountain West Championships.
  • Sullivan has added seven transfers and four freshmen since her arrival in Mid-Missouri this past December.
  • The Tigers returned juniors Jordan Iliff, Lauren Forbes, Morgan Isenberg, and sophomores Madilyn Sell and Janet deMarrais from the 2022 team.
  • Iliff, a right side hitter from St. Louis, was named to the 2023 USA Volleyball Women’s Collegiate National Team in June. The junior was third on Mizzou offensively in 2022 with 227 kills (2.39 kills per set).

NEW FACES ON THE BENCH

  • The 2023 team features a multitude of new staff members in addition to head coach Dawn Sullivan.
  • Cullen Irons, who coached with Sullivan at UNLV, was added as an assistant coach in January.
  • Wendel Camargo and Arielle Wilson will serve as Sullivan’s Recruiting Coordinators. Wilson, a four-time NCAA Champion, and four-time Big Ten Champion at Penn State, is also the Defensive Coordinator.
  • Technical Coordinator Jhenna Gabriel competed for Sullivan at UNLV in 2022, helping the Rebels secure the Mountain West Regular-Season Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Gabriel also earned All-American honors at Texas before her graduate transfer season at UNLV.

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This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics
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