Volleyball Heads to Georgia for Regular-Season Finale Saturday

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (17-11, 9-8 SEC) heads to Athens, Georgia, to wrap up its regular season Saturday against Georgia (18-11, 9-8 SEC). First serve is set for 1 p.m., CT at Stegeman Coliseum.

Following Saturday’s match, Mizzou will await its 2023 postseason destination. 

Saturday’s conference finale will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ with Kaleb Frady and Nikki Chester on the call. 

SERIES HISTORY     

• Mizzou leads the all-time series with Georgia, 11-9. 
• The Tigers took the initial 2023 meeting in five sets (16-25, 25-23, 29-31, 25-23, 15-13) Nov. 5 in Columbia, Missouri. 
• Jordan Iliff compiled a career-high 22 kills (.289) to go along with seven digs, five blocks, two aces, and an assist. 
• Junior Morgan Isenberg set a career-best 10 blocks to go with seven kills. 
• The victory on Nov. 5 at the Hearnes Center halted Georgia’s win streak between the two institutions at four. 

• In the all-time series, Missouri claimed five-straight victories over the Bulldogs, from Oct. 29, 2017, to Feb. 20, 2021. 
• Mizzou last beat the Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia, 3-1 on Oct. 10, 2019. 

NCAA CALIBER TEAM

• Mizzou has compiled a strong NCAA resume heading into its final regular-season match.
• The Tigers are currently ranked 32nd in RPI (Rating Percentage Index) with a 17-11 overall record and 9-8 SEC mark. 
• Missouri has picked up nine wins over top-100 AVCA (based on KPI, Pablo, and RPI rankings) teams including a pair of ranked wins over Auburn (#23 and #24, Oct. 20 & Nov. 12). 
• Mizzou has also picked up five wins over top-50 AVCA (based on KPI, Pablo, and RPI rankings) teams. 
• In SEC play, Missouri has went on both three-match and four-match win streaks this season. The Tigers have picked up 2-0 series sweeps of Texas A&M and Auburn, along with wins over South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgia and Ole Miss. 
• In head coach Dawn Sullivan’s first season in Columbia, Missouri, Mizzou has surpassed its overall win total from 2020 (16-8, 15-7 SEC), when the Tigers last made an NCAA Tournament appearance. 
• Mizzou’s eight-win improvement from 2022 (nine wins) is tied for 12th nationally and ranks second among Power Five institutions. Tennessee is the second highest SEC school with a four-win improvement. 
• Missouri is also one of eight schools in the country that have surpassed their combined win total from the past two seasons (nine in 2022, five in 2021). The Tigers three-win improvement ranks second in the nation behind Manhattan. 
• Selected to finish 12th in the SEC preseason poll, the Tigers are currently sixth in the conference (9-8) after surpassing both the 2022 (two wins) and 2021 (two wins) win totals. 
• Mizzou looks to make its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023 and earn its first berth since 2020. 

WEEKEND RECAP      

• Missouri dropped its pair of ranked SEC matches this past week. The Tigers fell to #20 Florida on Nov. 17 before a 3-1 loss at #12 Kentucky on Nov. 19. 
• Janet deMarrais led Missouri with 10 kills to extend her double-digit kill streak to 17 consecutive matches against #20 Florida. The sophomore also added four digs and a pair of aces.
• Dilara Gedikoglu and Jordan Iliff each chipped in nine kills in front of a season-best crowd of 5,452 at Hearnes on Senior Night (Nov. 17). Iliff also finished with 10 digs.
• Lauren Forbes placed a pair of aces before being honored on Senior Night. It marked her fourth match in 2023 with two or more aces. 
• Gedikoglu then registered 17 kills on a .371 hitting percentage at #12 Kentucky for her fifth double-digit kill match in the past six matches.
• Iliff chipped in 12 kills at #12 Kentucky with eight digs and three blocks. 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.
• Maya Sands led Mizzou defensively this past week with 31 digs (4.43 digs/set) including 18 at #12 Kentucky.
• Sierra Dudley registered 65 assists (9.29 assists/set) this past week for Mizzou including 42 assists to go with four digs at #12 Kentucky.

GEDIKOGLU, MORE THAN JUST A FUN NAME TO SAY   

• Dilara Gedikoglu paced Mizzou offensively this past week with 26 kills (3.71 kills/set) on a .310 hitting percentage to go with 13 digs (1.86 digs/set).
• She contributed nine kills, eight digs, and three blocks against #20 Florida on Nov. 17. 
• Gedikoglu then finished the week with 17 kills (.371) and five digs at #12 Kentucky on Nov. 19. 
• The outside hitter, has registered double-digit kills in five of the past six matches. Gedikoglu has also finished in double-digits attacking 16 times this season, including 14 kills four times.  
• Gedikoglu has notched 17 kills twice in 2023, posting the feat in both matchups with Kentucky (Oct. 6, .405). 
• Prior to this past week’s matches, Gedikoglu posted consecutive 11-kill matches (Mississippi State & Georgia) followed by consecutive 10-kill matches (Texas A&M & #24 Auburn).
• Defensively, she has tallied five or more digs in each of the last five matches. Gedikoglu paces the Tigers with eight double-doubles.
• She has been crucial in Mizzou’s serve-receive, as she has been targeted 903 times in 2023, registering a reception percentage of .948. 
• Gedikoglu compiled eight-plus digs in eight-straight matches, spanning from Sept. 24 through Oct. 20. 
• 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.  
• Gedikoglu ranks second and third, respectively, on Mizzou with 245 digs (2.33 digs/set) and 282 kills (2.69 kills/set).
• In her career, Gedikoglu enters the week with 966 kills and 941 digs.

OUR LIBERO   

• Missouri boasts the top libero in the SEC in Maya Sands. Sands paces the conference with 5.02 digs per set (326 digs in SEC play). 
• Overall, in 2023 she has registered 511 digs (4.82 digs/set, 35th in the nation) which also tops the SEC.
• Sands led Mizzou defensively this past week with 31 digs (4.43 digs/set). She posted 13 digs with three assists against #20 Florida on Nov. 17.
• Sands also grabbed 18 digs Nov. 19 at #12 Kentucky. 
• She has registered double-digit digs in every match this season for Mizzou. Sands has registered six performances of 24-plus digs (four 24-dig matches in 2023).
• The two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week has registered 20 or more digs in 14 matches this season including 10 of the last 17 matches (five of the last eight). 
• Sands was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week Nov. 13 after she logged back-to-back 23-dig performances in the Tigers’ pair of victories over Texas A&M (Nov. 10) and Auburn (Nov. 12). The Rock Falls, Illinois, native, registered a pair of identical stat lines of 23 digs, three assists and an ace in each of this past week’s matches.
• She was also previously named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week Oct. 16 after she grabbed a career-high 30 digs to go with two assists and an ace against Ole Miss on Oct. 15. The outing was the second-highest dig total in the SEC this season.
• Sands also ranks second on the Tigers behind the service line with 32 aces (0.30 aces/set, seventh in the SEC). She has tallied a season-best three aces in four separate matches this season.    
• In her career, Sands has compiled 923 digs and is on the heels of 1,000. 
• In the Mizzou single season record books, Sands is fifth overall with 4.82 digs/set (tied for fifth with 480 digs).

IT’S JO TIME  

• Jordan Iliff has registered double-digit kills in 14 of the last 16 matches (13 of the last 14 matches) for Mizzou. 
• She posted nine kills, 10 digs, one block, and an assist against #20 Florida on Nov. 17 before wrapping the week with 12 kills, eight digs and three blocks at #12 Kentucky on Nov. 19.
• Iliff has recorded 10 matches with at least 15 kills during the 2023 campaign, clocking 10 or more kills in 22 matches this season.
• Iliff was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 6, after pacing Missouri with 37 kills (4.63 kills/set) and 20 digs (2.50 digs/set) over the span of two matches. 
• During this time, the right side had a career day in the Tigers’ win over Georgia (Nov. 5), as she totaled a personal-best 22 kills to complement seven digs, five blocks, two aces and an assist.
• Iliff also added a double-double against Mississippi State, recording a team-high 15 kills on a season-best .619 hitting clip, to go with 13 digs on Nov. 3.
• She currently ranks fifth in the SEC for points (4.14 points/set, 434.5, fifth in the SEC). Iliff is also averaging 3.45 kills per set (10th in the SEC, 362 kills, fifth in the SEC).
• In SEC play, she ranks seventh for points (4.31 points/set, 280.0 points). She is also 10th with 3.55 kills per set (231 kills).
• Iliff also earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23, after recording 13 kills (.357), eight digs, two blocks and a pair of aces in Mizzou’s 3-0 road sweep of #23 Auburn on Oct. 20. 
• The six-rotation hitter has also provided a steady presence for Mizzou in the back row, recording 22 matches with five-plus digs. 
• Iliff has registered six double-doubles in 2023, finishing in double-digits digs seven times. 
• She posted eight or more digs in nine-consecutive matches for Mizzou from Sept. 24 to Oct. 25, including a career-high 15 against South Carolina (Sept. 24) to spur the run. 
• Iliff tallied 21 kills against the Gamecocks (Sept. 24), on an impressive .455 clip (one error on 44 total attacks). 
• The St. Louis, native, paces the team and ranks fourth in the SEC for aces (40), averaging 0.38 aces per set. In league competition, Iliff leads the conference with 0.45 aces per set (29 aces). 
• Iliff started the season with a bang, logging double-digit kills in five consecutive matches, from Aug. 25 through Sept. 2. Iliff commenced the season with 19 kills in the 2023 opener against Illinois State on Aug. 25.

FRESHMAN SETTER   

• Sierra Dudley registered 65 assists (9.29 assists/set) this past week for Mizzou including 42 assists to go with four digs at #12 Kentucky (Nov. 19).
• Dudley also tallied 23 assists to go with five digs and two blocks against #20 Florida on Nov. 17. 
• She has posted 20 or more assists in 16 straight matches this season. Dudley has also finished with 40 or more assists 16 times in 2023 including six of the last seven matches.
• The freshman ranks third in the SEC with 1,071 assists this season (10.30 assists/set, fourth in the SEC, 43rd in the NCAA). In league action, she is fourth with 10.95 assists per set (701 assists, second in the SEC).
• Dudley is the first Tigers setter to have 1,000 assists in a season since Andrea Fuentes in 2019 (1,306 assists).
• The setter earned SEC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 6, after dishing out 93 assists as Missouri hit .339 over its two-match SEC slate the prior week.
• During this span, Dudley opened the week with 43 assists to go with two kills and two digs as the Tigers hit a season-best team hitting percentage of .458 in a 3-0 sweep of Mississippi State on Nov. 3.
• She then registered 50 assists, adding eight digs, three kills, two blocks, and an ace as Mizzou hit .260 as a team in the Tigers’ five-set victory over Georgia on Nov. 5.
• Dudley also earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after she registered a career-best 60 assists and 12 digs in the Tigers’ first matchup 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. 
• Behind the 10-foot line, the freshman has logged 21 matches with five or more digs, including securing double-digit digs eight times this season. She leads Mizzou with eight double-doubles in 2023. 
• 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 on Aug. 27. She combined for 146 assists over the season-opening Mizzou Classic (Aug. 25-27).   

DEMARRAIS ALL THE WAY 

• Janet deMarrais compiled 17-consecutive double-digit kill matches from Sept. 15 to Nov. 17. She has posted nine or more kills in each of the last 18 contests.
• The outside posted 10 kills to go with four digs and a pair of aces against #20 Florida on Nov. 17 before concluding the week with nine terminations to go with a pair of assists at #12 Kentucky on Nov. 19. 
• In 2023, deMarrais has clocked double-digit kills 18 times, including three matches with 20 or more kills.  
• In the back row, deMarrais has tallied six-plus digs in 12 of the last 16 matches, including a career-best 13 digs against Ole Miss on Oct. 15 to complement a career-best 30 kills.
• deMarrais registered a then career-best 24 kills on a .400 clip in the match prior at Alabama on Oct. 11.
• The Colleyville, Texas, native, clocked 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. 
• The sophomore ranks fifth in the SEC in league play with 4.53 points per set (294.5 points) and seventh with 3.94 kills per set (256 kills).
• Overall, deMarrais ranks 15th in the league for kills per set (3.18, 321 kills).
• She has registered 20 total aces during the 2023 campaign, including a career-best three, four times.
• deMarrais has appeared in the Mizzou starting lineup in each of the last 17 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.

MO MAKING MOVES

• Morgan Isenberg ranks second in the SEC with 132 blocks (30th in the NCAA, 1.28 blocks/set, third in the SEC, 30th in the NCAA). In league action, she ranks fourth with 1.29 blocks per set (81 total blocks, third in the SEC). 
• The Wildwood, Missouri, native, has logged five or more blocks 13 times in 2023. 
• The middle blocker contributed to the Tigers’ season-best 15 total blocks against Texas A&M on Nov. 10, turning away eight at the net to complement six kills (.455).
• She posted a personal-best 10 blocks against Georgia on Nov. 5 while adding seven kills on a .500 clip. 
• The junior’s 10-block performance marked the first time a Tiger had posted double-digit blocks since Trista Strasser recorded the feat against Northern Kentucky on Aug. 26, 2022.
• Isenberg has registered three-plus blocks 23 times this season, including 14 of the Tigers’ last 16 contests.
• In the Mizzou record books, Isenberg ranks second for a single season with 125 block assists and fourth with 1.28 blocks per set.
• Offensively, Isenberg is hitting .300 in conference matches which ranks 10th in the SEC. 
• She has registered 18 matches with five or more kills this season. 
• Isenberg recorded her fourth double-digit kill match of the 2023 campaign against #24 Auburn on Nov. 12, clocking 10 kills on a .563 hitting clip to go with two blocks. 
• Isenberg also 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 hitting percentage was Mizzou’s highest since Kenna Sauer posted a mark of .700 at Ole Miss on Nov. 21, 2020.
• She 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.

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY CLASS   

• Missouri Volleyball Head Coach Dawn Sullivan and her staff announced Nov. 15, the signing of five student-athletes for National Signing Day.
• Tia Phinezy, Vivian Parker, Aspen Maxwell, Claire Morrissey, and Grace Sweeney will all join Mizzou this upcoming fall ahead of the 2024 campaign. 
• The group marks Sullivan’s first signing class at the helm of the Tigers program. 

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.

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 will next watch the 2023 NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, to see the Tigers postseason destination. The show will be broadcasted on ESPNU at 5 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.