Volleyball Hosts Ole Miss Sunday in Breast Cancer Awareness Match

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (11-7, 3-4 SEC) returns home to host Ole Miss (8-9, 2-4 SEC) Sunday in the MU Health Care Breast Cancer Awareness Match. First serve is set for 3 p.m., CT at the Hearnes Center.

The match will be televised on SEC Network+ with Casey Roehl and Riley Rohler on the call.

Missouri is currently 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.

PROMOTIONS

• ­Sunday is the MU Health Care Breast Cancer Awareness Match.
• Fans in attendance can receive Pink T-Shirts and Shakers, while supplies last, along with post-match autographs.

SERIES HISTORY

• ­Missouri leads the all-time series against Ole Miss, 17-10. 
• In their latest matchup, the Tigers fell to the Rebels in a five-set battle in Oxford, Mississippi, during the 2022 campaign (Oct. 22, 2022). Mizzou also dropped a 3-0 decision the day prior. 
• Missouri has dropped its last four consecutive matches against the Rebels. The last time the Tigers bested Ole Miss was in 2020, securing a 3-1 win in Oxford, Mississippi (Nov. 21, 2020). 
• Mizzou last beat Ole Miss at the Hearnes Center in 2017 (Oct. 8, 2017, 3-0). 

ALABAMA RECAP

• ­Missouri clinched an SEC road win on Wednesday (Oct.11) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide, 3-0. 
• The Tigers combined for a season-best team hitting percentage of .354, including three separate players with 10-plus kills. 
• Missouri has posted a team hitting percentage of .300 plus in two of its last three matches. The Tigers previously set a season-best team hitting percentage of .320 at home against Kentucky on Oct. 6.
• Prior to their recent hot streak at the net, the Tigers last hit over .350 against Missouri State (.383) on Sept. 2, 2022.
• Janet deMarrais set the pace for Mizzou against the Crimson Tide, recording a career-best 24 kills on the night to go with seven digs and two aces. 
• Dilara Gedikoglu added a double-double. The outside logged 13 kills on a .370 hitting clip with 14 digs.
• Junior Jordan Iliff chipped in 12 kills from the pin for the Tigers, while snagging eight digs and two aces.
• Sierra Dudley helped lead the Tigers’ offense, as the freshman setter tallied 47 assists, marking her ninth 40-plus assist match of the season. Dudley also contributed eight digs and three blocks.
• In the backrow, libero Maya Sands logged 12 digs and two assists, while Lauren Forbes chipped in three digs. 
• Janet deMarrais is the third Tiger to reach 20 or more kills this season as Jordan Iliff totaled 21 against South Carolina on Sept. 24 and Dilara Gedikoglu had 20 against Colgate on Aug. 27.

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS FOR THE TIGERS

• With the win over Alabama, Missouri has now surpassed double-digit wins (11) for the first time since 2020 (16-8, 15-7 SEC). 
• The victory over Alabama Wednesday improved Mizzou’s SEC win total to three, which surpassed its conference win total from the past two seasons. 

DEMARRAIS ALL THE WAY 

• Janet deMarrais had a career-night against Alabama, recording a personal-best 24 kills on a .400 clip. deMarrais also contributed seven digs and two aces on Wednesday (Oct. 11). 
• During the sophomore’s recent tear, deMarrais has clocked double-digit kills in the past eight-straight matches. She has logged nine matches with 10-plus kills during the 2023 campaign so far. 
• The six-rotation outside has also been getting it done in the backrow for the Tigers as well. deMarrais has tallied six or more digs in each of Mizzou’s previous six matches, including a career-best 12 digs against Arkansas (Oct. 9) for the double-double (15 kills). 
• The Colleyville, Texas, native, has registered 15 or more kills in each of the last four contests including 18 in her home state against Texas A&M on Oct. 1.
• deMarrais has appeared in the Mizzou starting lineup in each of the last seven 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 172 kills (2.77 kills/set) during the 2023 campaign, including 107 (4.12 kills/set) in SEC play this season which ranks fifth in the league. She is also sixth in conference play with 4.69 points/set (122.0).

IT’S JO TIME 

• Jordan Iliff continues to be a consistent force at the net for Missouri this season, tallying 12 kills on a .360 hitting clip to complement eight digs and two aces in the Tigers’ recent victory over Alabama (Oct. 11). The match marked Iliff’s fourth-straight double-digit kill match and second-straight with 12. 
• The junior has hit over .357 in each of the last three matches and notched 16 kills in back-to-back matches at Texas A&M (Oct. 1) and against #22 Kentucky (Oct. 6, .389). 
• Iliff has clocked 13 matches with double-digit kills so far this season. She leads Missouri in the front row with 220 kills (3.33 kill/set, 11th in the SEC) during the 2023 campaign. 
• In the SEC, Iliff ranks fifth for both points (264.0, 4.00 points/set, ninth in the SEC) and total kills (220). 
• In SEC play, she ranks third in the league for aces (0.50 aces/set, 13) and ninth for points (4.21 points/set, 109.5).
• The six-rotation right side is doing it all for the Tigers, as she’s recorded 13 matches with five-plus digs, including a trio of double-doubles. 
• Iliff has posted eight or more digs in each of the last six matches including 15 against South Carolina (Sept. 24) and 14 at Texas A&M (Oct. 1).
• The St. Louis, native, matched a career-best three aces at the service line Sept. 29 at LSU. It marked her fourth career match with three aces. She has posted two or more aces in each of the last six contests. 
• 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). She also recorded a personal-best 15 digs.
• 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 grabbed 12 digs to go with two assists and an ace in the Tigers’ latest SEC victory at Alabama (Oct. 11). 
• The sophomore registered her eighth 20-plus dig outing of the year at #13 Arkansas (Oct. 8), finishing with 24 digs and two assists. It also marked her third 24-dig outing in 2023.
• Sands has posted 20 or more digs in three of the last four matches and has logged double-digit digs in every match this season. 
• In the Tigers’ non-conference finale against Eastern Illinois (Sept. 15), the Rock Falls, Illinois, native, tallied a career-best 25 digs to go along with two assists.
• Sands ranks among the top 50 in the nation and leads SEC in digs this season with 312 on the year (4.66 digs/set), including 11 matches with 15 or more. 
• The libero also paces the Tigers behind the service line with 24 aces (0.36 aces/set, third in the SEC). She has tallied a season-best three aces in four separate matches this season.

FRESHMAN SETTER 

• Sierra Dudley led Missouri’s offense to a season-best hitting percentage (.354) against the Crimson Tide, as the setter dished out 47 assists with eight digs and three blocks (Oct. 11) over the 3-0 sweep. The contest marked Dudley’s ninth 40-plus assist match this season. 
• The freshman has registered 40 or more assists in three of the last four matches. 
• In Missouri’s meeting with Kentucky (Oct. 6), Dudley helped the Tigers’ notch a team hitting percentage of .320, as she passed out 45 assists to go with 10 digs, two kills and matched a personal-high three blocks.
• Dudley has registered at least 45 assists seven times in 2023, including three SEC matches. She ranks second in the SEC with 640 assists (9.85 assists/set, seventh in the SEC) during the 2023 campaign. 
• Dudley logged her sixth double-double of the season, passing out 38 assists to go with 11 digs against the Razorbacks (Oct. 8). 
• In SEC play, Dudley ranks fourth with 10.80 assists/set (270).
• 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 season-opening Mizzou Classic (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 at Xavier on Sept. 9.
• In the back row, Dudley has logged 15 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 ranks in the top 35 nationally and second in the SEC in total blocks with 82 (1.24 blocks/set, sixth in the SEC) this season. 
• Isenberg has recorded three-plus blocks in 15 matches during the 2023 campaign. 
• Over Missouri’s last four matches in October, the junior has secured 20 blocks including eight at Texas A&M (Oct. 1, just one shy of her career-best), to go along with five kills. 
• 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.
• She ranks ninth in SEC play with 1.19 blocks/set (31 blocks).
• The junior has recorded 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.

GEDIKOGLU, MORE THAN JUST A FUN NAME TO SAY 

• Dilara Gedikoglu registered her sixth double-double of the 2023 campaign in the Tigers’ victory over Alabama (Oct. 11), tallying 13 kills (.370) to complement 14 digs and a block.
• The outside has finished in double-digits attacking 10 times, including four of the last five matches. 
• She 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.
• The outside hitter ranks second on Mizzou with 183 kills (2.77 kills/set) and 167 digs (2.53 digs/set) this season. 
• In her career, Gedikoglu enters Sunday’s match with 867 kills and 863 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 next travels to Auburn, Alabama, to face #22 Auburn on Friday, Oct. 20. First serve is set for 6 p.m., CT. 
• The match will be streamed on SEC Network.  
• Following that match, Missouri returns home to take on #10 Tennessee at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday, October 25.  

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.