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Mizzou (10-6, 2-4 SEC) at Alabama (10-6, 4-0 SEC) |
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Match Information |
Wednesday, Oct. 11 • 7 p.m., CT • Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Foster Auditorium |
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Match Coverage |
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Social Media |
Facebook: /MizzouVolleyball Twitter: @MizzouVB | Instagram: @MizzouVB |
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Match Notes |
Missouri | Alabama |
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (10-7, 2-4 SEC) heads to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to face Alabama (10-6, 0-5 SEC) Wednesday at Foster Auditorium.
First serve is set for 7 p.m., CT. The match will be televised on SEC Network with Sam Gore and Madison Fitzpatrick on the broadcast.
Missouri heads into the week ranked 35th for RPI (Rating Percentage Index), which is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team’s wins and losses and its strength of schedule.
SERIES HISTORY
• Missouri leads the all-time series with Alabama, 13-5.
• In the latest matchup in 2022, the Crimson Tide swept the Tigers 3-0 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Oct. 12).
• Although Mizzou has come up short against Alabama in the past two meetings (Oct. 12, 2022, and Oct. 13, 2021, 3-2), the Tigers previously won nine consecutive matches over the Crimson Tide dating back to Oct. 28, 2015.
• During this stretch, Missouri last bested Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Oct. 21-22, 2020, 3-1 and 3-0, respectively.
KENTUCKY AND ARKANSAS RECAP
• Missouri fell to #22 Kentucky, 3-1, in a hard-fought match in the Hearnes Center on Oct. 6. From there, the Tigers traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where they lost another 3-1 battle against the #13 Razorbacks.
• A season-best crowd of 2,921 fans attended the match against the Wildcats.
• Missouri posted a season-best team hitting percentage against UK, recording a .320 clip (Oct. 6). It marked the first time the Tigers had hit over .300 since the 2022 campaign against Auburn (Oct. 15, 2022).
• Several players contributed to this offense Friday night, including Dilara Gedikoglu, who logged her third-straight double-digit kill match. Gedikoglu paced Mizzou at the net with 17 kills on a season-best .405 hitting percentage to go along with eight digs (Oct. 6).
• Junior Jordan Iliff added 16 kills against the Wildcats, connecting on a rate of .389 to go with nine digs and two aces (Oct. 6).
• Sophomore Janet deMarrais contributed 15 kills with six digs and two blocks against Kentucky (Oct. 6).
• Sierra Dudley registered 45 assists and 10 digs against the Wildcats. The freshman setter also compiled two kills and matched a personal-high three blocks (Oct. 6).
• Sophomore libero Maya Sands finished with 22 digs and nine assists against Kentucky (Oct. 6).
• Janet deMarrais posted her first career double-double of 15 kills to go with a career-best 12 digs against the Razorbacks (Oct. 8). The double-digit kill outing was the seventh straight for the sophomore.
• Jordan Iliff chipped in 12 kills on a .357 hitting percentage in Sunday’s matchup with the Razorbacks. Iliff also compiled nine digs to achieve her third-straight double-digit kill match of the season (Oct. 8).
• Morgan Isenberg and Colleen Finney held it down in the middle for the Tigers against Arkansas, as Isenberg contributed six blocks and four kills, while Finney finished with four blocks and three kills (Oct. 8).
• Maya Sands posted 24 digs to go with two assists against Arkansas, marking her eighth 20-plus dig outing this season and third straight. She also posted 24 digs for the third time in 2023.
• Sierra Dudley passed out 38 assists with 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the season (Oct. 8).
DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS FOR THE TIGERS
• Missouri recently reached double-digit (10) wins for the first time since 2020 (16-8, 15-7 SEC) with its win over Texas A&M (Oct. 1).
• Additionally, the SEC victory tied the Tigers’ conference win total from the past two seasons (2021 and 2022).
IT’S JO TIME
• Jordan Iliff has been a consistent force at the net for Missouri this season, posting back-to-back matches of 16 kills in two of the last three contests. The junior contributed 16 kills and 14 digs in the Tigers’ victory over Texas A&M (Oct. 1), before registering 16 kills (.389), nine digs and two aces against #22 Kentucky (Oct. 6).
• In the Tigers’ latest matchup with #13 Arkansas, Iliff recorded her third-straight double-digit kill match for Mizzou, as she logged 12 kills (.357) to complement nine digs, four blocks and two aces (Oct. 8).
• Iliff has recorded 12 matches with double-digit kills so far this season. She leads Missouri in the front row with 208 kills (3.30 kill/set) during the 2023 campaign.
• In the SEC, Iliff ranks sixth for points (250.0, 3.97 points/set, 10th) and 11th with 3.30 kills/set.
• The six-rotation right side is doing it all for the Tigers, as she’s recorded 12 matches with five-plus digs, including a trio of double-doubles.
• The St. Louis, native, also matched a career-best three aces at the service line Sept. 29 at LSU. It marked her fourth career match with three aces. Iliff also had seven kills and nine digs in the road contest.
• Iliff tallied a career-best day against the Gamecocks (Sept. 24), tallying 21 kills on an impressive .455 clip (one error on 44 total attacks). Iliff also recorded a personal-best 15 digs as Missouri defeated South Carolina to snag its first SEC win of the season.
• Iliff 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. She commenced the season with 19 kills in the 2023 opener against Illinois State (Aug. 25).
OUR LIBERO
• Maya Sands registered her eighth 20-plus dig outing of the season in the Tigers’ latest matchup against #13 Arkansas (Oct. 8). Sands led Mizzou with 24 and two assists. It marked her third 24-dig outing in 2023.
• Sands had another 20-plus dig night against #22 Kentucky, posting 22 digs in the matchup with the Wildcats (Oct. 6). The sophomore also logged a season-best nine assists.
• Sands combined for 35 digs (4.38 digs/set) in the Tigers’ SEC road series at LSU (Sept. 29) and Texas A&M (Oct. 1), including 21 digs to go along with five assists and an ace in Missouri’s win over the Aggies. She finished the week with just one receiving error over 60 attempts.
• In the Tigers’ non-conference finale against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 15), the libero tallied a career-best 25 digs to go along with two assists.
• Sands leads Mizzou and the SEC with 300 digs (4.69 digs/set), including 11 matches with 15 or more.
• The libero also paces the Tigers behind the service line with 23 aces (0.36 aces/set). She has tallied a season-best three aces in four separate matches this season.
FRESHMAN SETTER
• Sierra Dudley generated 83 assists in the Tigers’ previous two matches against #13 Arkansas (Oct. 8) and #22 Kentucky (Oct. 6).
• In Missouri’s meeting with Kentucky, Dudley helped the Tigers’ reach a season-best hitting percentage of .320, as she passed out 45 assists. The match marked her eighth 40-plus assist performance of 2023 to go with 10 digs, two kills and matched a personal-high three blocks (Oct. 6).
• Dudley has registered 45 assists three times in 2023 including two SEC matches (South Carolina, Sept. 24).
• The freshman logged her sixth double-double of the season, passing out 38 assists to go with 11 digs against the Razorbacks (Oct. 8).
• Dudley has produced double-digit assists in every match this season, including 13 with 25-plus assists. So far, she has totaled 593 assists (9.56 assists/set) during the 2023 campaign.
• Her time as a Tiger got off to an impressive start as Dudley registered a career-best 52 assists in Missouri’s third match of the season against Colgate (Aug 27). She combined for 146 assists over the course of Mizzou’s season-opening tournament (Aug. 25-27).
• The Spartanburg, South Carolina, native has also proved to be an offensive threat, tallying three or more kills in eight matches this season. She recorded a career-best five kills against Xavier on Sept. 9.
• In the back row, Dudley has logged 14 matches with five or more digs, including securing double-digit digs six times this season.
• She commenced the campaign with a trio of double-doubles Aug. 25-27.
MO MAKING MOVES
• Morgan Isenberg led the Tigers at the net with six blocks in their latest matchup with #13 Arkansas to go with four kills (Oct. 8).
• The middle blocker ranks second in the SEC with 79 blocks (1.25 blocks/set, sixth in the SEC) this season.
• Isenberg registered eight blocks against Texas A&M on Oct. 1 (just one shy of her career-best).
• The junior has registered 10 matches with five or more kills this season, including three double-digit kills matches.
• 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.
• At the net, the Wildwood, Missouri, native, has tallied five or more blocks a total of eight times in 2023, including a career-high nine against South Dakota (Sept. 2).
DEMARRAIS ALL THE WAY
• Janet deMarrais has had the hot-hand in the front row for Missouri, as she registered her first career double-double against #13 Arkansas. During Sunday’s match, deMarrais paced Missouri on the outside with 15 kills to go with a career-best 12 digs (Oct. 9).
• The double-digit kill outing was the seventh straight for deMarrais. It also was her eighth 10-plus kill match in 2023 (Oct. 9) and second-straight match with 15.
• The six-rotation pin hitter also contributed 15 kills, six digs and two blocks against #22 Kentucky, (Oct. 6).
• In the Tigers’ road matchup against Texas A&M, deMarrais, a Colleyville, Texas, native, recorded a career day in her home state, tallying a personal-best 18 kills (Oct. 1).
• deMarrais has appeared in the Mizzou starting lineup in each of the last six matches, dating back to the Tiger’s 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 has recorded 96 kills over the last seven matches, including 83 (3.61 kills/set) during SEC play this season.
GEDIKOGLU, MORE THAN JUST A FUN NAME TO SAY
• Dilara Gedikoglu has registered five double-doubles in 2023. She has finished in double-digits attacking nine times.
• She most recently led Mizzou with 17 kills on a season-best .405 hitting percentage for her third-straight double-digit kill match against #22 Kentucky on Oct. 6. She also had eight digs.
• The Alanya, Turkey, native, compiled a season-best 20 kills to go with 13 digs in her third match as a Tiger (Aug. 27 vs. Colgate).
• Gedikoglu has also finished with 14 kills three times including the series finale with Eastern Illinois (Sept. 15) to go with a season-best 15 digs on a .297 clip.
• She ranks second on Mizzou with 170 kills (2.70 kills/set) and 153 digs (2.43 digs/set) this season. The outside hitter has posted seven double-digit dig matches in 2023.
• In her career, Gedikoglu just surpassed both 800 career kills and digs and enters the weekend with 854 kills and 849 digs.
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 return 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.
NEWCOMERS
• The 2023 team features 11 newcomers with seven transfers and four freshmen.
• Libero Maya Sands was Dawn Sullivan‘s first addition in January, transferring to Mizzou from UNLV.
• Other transfers include right side hitter Naomi Franco, setter Luisa Melloni, setter Sarah White, right side hitter/middle hitter Kimani Johnson, outside hitter Dilara Gedikoglu and middle blocker Colleen Finney.
• Sullivan also signed four freshmen in setter/libero Tatum Longnecker, outside hitter/right side hitter Chapel Dobbs, Columbia libero Kaylen Rush and setter Sierra Dudley.
LOOKING AHEAD
• Mizzou heads home to face Ole Miss on Sunday. First serve at the Hearnes Center is set for 3 p.m., CT.
• Sunday is the MU Healthcare Breast Cancer Awareness Match. Fans in attendance can receive Pink T-Shirts and Shakers, while supplies last, along with post-match autographs.
• The match will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Casey Roehl and Riley Rohler will be on the call.
• The Tigers then hit the road for Auburn, Alabama, to face #22 Auburn on Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m., CT.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
• For all the latest information on Mizzou Volleyball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
• Single-match and Season Tickets for Mizzou Volleyball are currently on sale now at mutigers.com/feature/VBTix.
