Volleyball Hosts Senior Night Before Heading to #12 Kentucky

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (17-9, 9-6 SEC) celebrates a pair of seniors in the Tigers’ final regular-season match at Hearnes against #20 Florida (16-7, 8-6 SEC) on Friday, before heading to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the #12 Wildcats (15-7, 13-1 SEC). First serve for Friday’s match against the Gators is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., CT. Sunday’s contest against Kentucky commences at 12:30 p.m., CT.

Mizzou will recognize the careers of Dilara Gedikoglu and Lauren Forbes following the match Friday for Senior Night.

Both matches will be televised on SEC Network. Casey Roehl and Riley Rohler will be on the call Friday while the talent for Sunday will be Andrew Kappes and Leah Edmond.

The Tigers are currently ranked 29th in RPI (Rating Percentage Index).

After its latest win against #24 Auburn, Missouri 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. 

Missouri has seen a 240 percent increase in attendance at Hearnes this season.

Tickets for Senior Night are just $4 and can be purchased online. 

PROMOTIONS     

• Friday is Senior Night as Mizzou will recognize the careers of Dilara Gedikoglu and Lauren Forbes following the match.
• Friday is also Friendsgiving and fans in attendance can receive a Mizzou Scarf, while supplies last, along with post-match autographs. 
• Mizzou Volleyball is partnering with Alpha Delta Pi in hosting a First Responders Donation Drive for their final regular-season home match. The full list of donation items can be found online.
• Tickets for Senior Night are just $4 and can be purchased online. 

FLORIDA SERIES HISTORY     

• Florida leads the all-time series with Mizzou, 12-5.

• In their previous meeting during the 2022 campaign, the Tigers fell to the Gators 3-0 on the road in Gainesville, Florida on Nov. 4.

• The last time Mizzou bested Florida was in 2018, as the Tigers defeated the Gators in a five-set contest in the Sunshine State on Oct. 21. 

• Mizzou is 3-3 all-time at home against the Gators. 

• Mizzou last defeated the Gators at the Hearnes Center during the 2016 campaign, edging Florida in a five-set thriller on Nov. 20. 

• Missouri looks to snap a five-match losing streak against the Gators (spanning from October 30, 2019, to November 4, 2022) on Friday. 

KENTUCKY SERIES HISTORY     

• Kentucky leads the all-time series with Mizzou, 14-5. 

• Sunday will mark the second of two meetings between the two teams in 2023. The Wildcats won the initial meeting on Oct. 6, 3-1, in Columbia, Missouri.

• The last time the Tigers topped Kentucky was during the 2016 campaign, as Mizzou swept the Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6. The match marked the end of Missouri’s three-match win streak over Kentucky, which spanned from November 15, 2015, to November 6, 2016. 

• The Tigers are 3-3 on the road against the Wildcats. 

• The Wildcats have won each of the last 10 meetings (spanning from September 20, 2017, to Oct. 6, 2023). 

OUR LIBERO   

• Libero Maya Sands was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after she logged back-to-back 23-dig performances in the Tigers’ latest pair of victories over Texas A&M (Nov. 10) and Auburn (Nov. 12). 

• Sands led Mizzou defensively with 46 digs (5.75 digs/set) as the Tigers extended their winning streak to four matches. 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.

• Sands has registered 20 digs in 14 matches this season including 10 of the last 15 matches (five of the last six). 

• Throughout the 2023 campaign, Sands has posted double-digit digs in every match of the season and has registered six performances of 24-plus digs (four 24-dig matches in 2023).

• 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 on Oct. 15. The outing was the second-highest dig total in the SEC this season.

• She currently leads the conference with a career-best 480 digs (36th in the NCAA) and 4.85 digs per set (30th in the NCAA), after compiling 412 digs her freshman season at UNLV.

• In conference play, Sands paces the SEC with 295 digs (5.09 digs/set).

• The libero also ranks second on the Tigers behind the service line with 32 aces (0.32 aces/set, ninth in the SEC). She has tallied a season-best three aces in four separate matches this season.    

• In her career, Sands has compiled 892 digs and is on the heels of 1,000. In the Mizzou single season record books, Sands is fifth overall with 4.85 digs/set (ninth with 480 digs).

AUBURN RECAP      

• Missouri most recently edged #24 Auburn, 3-1, at the Hearnes Center on Nov. 12 to extend its win streak to four matches. 

• The victory clinched the 2023 series sweep over Auburn.

• The Tigers played in front of a season-best crowd of 3,501. Mizzou has surpassed 3,000 fans at four home matches (all SEC contests) in 2023. 

• Jordan Iliff led the way for Missouri with her sixth double-double of the season, putting up 18 kills and 10 digs for her 12th consecutive double-digit kill match. The junior also added a career-best four aces.

• Sophomore Janet deMarrais extended her double-digit kill streak to 16 matches, compiling 15 kills and 11 digs to go along with a career-best matching three aces. The match also marked deMarrais’ third double-double of the 2023 campaign.

• Maya Sands led the defense, scooping up 23 digs for the second-straight match. The victory marked her 14th match with at least 20 digs this season.

• Graduate student Colleen Finney clocked her second double-digit kill match of the season with 11 on a stellar season-best .733 hitting percentage (the highest by a Tiger this season). She has registered seven or more kills in each of the last five matches.  

• Morgan Isenberg also had a big night out of the middle, adding 10 kills (.563) and a pair of blocks for her fourth double-digit kill match of the season. 

• Dilara Gedikoglu added 10 kills, nine digs and two aces for the Tigers, notching her fourth consecutive double-digit kill performance.

• Freshman setter Sierra Dudley logged her third straight 50-plus assist (fifth of the season) match with 55 assists. With the performance, Dudley officially surpassed 1,000 assists in 2023 (1,006), becoming the first Tiger to reach the milestone since Andrea Fuentes in 2019 (1,306 assists).

• Missouri had five attackers (Iliff-18, deMarrais-15, Finney-11, Gedikoglu-10, Isenberg-10) in double-figures kills for the first time since Sept. 3, 2016 against Rice when Melanie Crow (16), Carly Kan (15), Kira Larson (12), Sydney Deeken (11) and Alyssa Munlyn (11) posted the feat. 

TEXAS A&M RECAP      

• Missouri took down Texas A&M, 3-1, at the Hearnes Center on Nov. 10. With the win, the Tigers clinched the 2023 series sweep over the Aggies. 

• The victory marked the first time the Tigers had beaten Texas A&M twice in the same season since the 2020 campaign (March 19-20, 2021). 

• Junior Jordan Iliff continued her tear, clocking 18 kills to go with nine digs, three aces (career-high matching) and a pair of blocks. 

• Janet deMarrais added 16 kills with a career-best six blocks, six digs and two assists.

• Dilara Gedikoglu registered her eighth double-double of the year with 10 kills and 10 digs to complement five blocks, three assists and an ace. 

• Freshman setter Sierra Dudley put on her second-straight 50 assist performance. She also contributed nine digs, two blocks and two kills.

• Libero Maya Sands secured 23 digs with three assists and an ace. 

• Middle blockers Colleen Finney and Morgan Isenberg contributed to the Tigers’ season-best 15 total blocks, as Finney recorded five, while Isenberg turned away eight at the net. 

• Finney also chipped in eight kills (.467 hitting percentage), while Isenberg compiled six kills (.455).

IT’S JO TIME  

• Jordan Iliff registered her sixth double-double of the season, putting up 18 kills, 10 digs and a career-best four aces in Mizzou’s latest win over #24 Auburn (Nov. 12). Iliff continued her recent tear, extending her double-digit kill streak to 12 straight matches. 

• Iliff has recorded 10 matches with at least 15 kills during the 2023 campaign, clocking 10 or more kills in 21 matches this season.

• The junior also had an 18-kill night in the Tigers matchup against Texas A&M (Nov. 10) and has posted 18 or more kills in each of the last three matches. Iliff also logged nine digs, three aces (third time this season) and a pair of blocks. 

• Iliff was previously 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 seventh in the SEC for points (4.20 points/set, 411.5, fifth in the SEC). Iliff is also averaging 3.48 kills per set (10th in the SEC, 341 kills, sixth in the SEC).

• In SEC play, she ranks seventh for points (4.43 points/set, 257.0 points). She is also 10th with 3.62 kills per set (210 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 20 matches with five-plus digs. 

• 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 a previous career-high 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 0.41 aces per set. In league competition, Iliff leads the conference with 0.50 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 compiled her fifth 50-plus assist match of the season, dishing out 55 assists to help Mizzou to a .356 team hitting percentage in the Tigers’ match against #24 Auburn (Nov. 12). Dudley also added three digs, a kill and an ace.

• With the performance, Dudley officially surpassed 1,000 assists in 2023 (1,006). She is the first Tigers setter to have 1,000 assists in a season since Andrea Fuentes in 2019 (1,306 assists).

• The freshman also tallied back-to-back 50-assist nights against Texas A&M (Nov. 10) and Georgia (Nov. 5). In Missouri’s match against the Aggies, Dudley also contributed nine digs, two blocks and two kills. 

• Dudley has totaled 15 matches with at least 40 assists during the 2023 campaign, including each of the last five matches, and 30 or more in each of the last 14 matches.

• 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 previous 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. 

• The freshman ranks second in the SEC with 1,006 assists this season (10.37 assists/set, fourth in the SEC). In league action, she is fourth with 11.16 assists per set (636 assists).

• Behind the 10-foot line, the freshman has logged 20 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 on Aug. 27. She combined for 146 assists over the season-opening Mizzou Classic (Aug. 25-27).   

DEMARRAIS ALL THE WAY 

• Janet deMarrais completed her third double-double of the year, compiling 15 kills and 11 digs against #24 Auburn (Nov. 12). deMarrais also tied a career-high three aces (four times in 2023).

• With her performance, deMarrais has clocked double-digit kills in 16-consecutive matches. 

• During this stretch, the sophomore also put away 16 kills in the Tigers’ battle against Texas A&M (Nov. 10). deMarrais finished the night with a career-best six blocks, six digs, two assists and an ace.

• The outside has clocked double-digit kills 17 times this season, including three matches with 20 or more kills.  

• In the back row, deMarrais has tallied six-plus digs in 12 of the last 14 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 4.09 kills per set (237 kills) and 4.71 points per set (273 points).

• Overall, deMarrais ranks 15th in the league for kills per set (3.21, 302 kills).

• She has registered 18 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 15 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 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. 

• 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).

• Isenberg has logged five or more blocks 12 times in 2023. 

• She reached a new career milestone in Mizzou’s match against Georgia on Nov. 5, putting up a personal-best 10 blocks, 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 21 times this season, including 12 of the Tigers’ last 14 contests.

• She has registered 17 matches with five or more kills this season. 

• Isenberg 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.

• Isenberg also 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.

• The Wildwood, Missouri, native, ranks 32nd nationally and third in the SEC with 124 total blocks (1.29 blocks/set, third in the SEC, 29th in the NCAA) this season.

•  In SEC play, she ranks third with 1.30 blocks/set (73 blocks).

• Isenberg is also ninth in the SEC with a hitting percentage of .338 (.322 in SEC play).

• In the Mizzou record books, Isenberg ranks fourth for a single season blocking (117 block assists, 1.29 blocks/set). 

GEDIKOGLU, MORE THAN JUST A FUN NAME TO SAY   

• Dilara Gedikoglu put up 10 kills at the net for the Tigers in their latest win over #24 Auburn on Nov. 12, in addition to nine digs, two assists, two aces and a block. The match marked Gedikoglu’s fourth consecutive double-digit kill performance and second-straight match with 10 kills. 

• The outside previously logged a double-double against Texas A&M on Nov. 10, finishing with 10 kills and 10 digs to go with five blocks, three assists and an ace. Gedikoglu has recorded eight double-doubles during the 2023 campaign. 

• She also posted 11 kills in back-to-back contests for the Tigers, against Mississippi State (Nov. 3) and Georgia (Nov. 5). Gedikoglu recorded a season-best hitting clip of .429 against MSU, while contributing three aces (career-best, ninth time), two digs and a pair of assists. 

• The graduate student also registered 11 kills, nine digs, five assists and an ace in Missouri’s win over Georgia on Nov. 5.

• The six-rotation outside has posted double-digit digs in five of the last 10 matches. 

• She has been crucial in Mizzou’s serve-receive, as she has been targeted 867 times in 2023, registering a reception percentage of .950. 

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

• The graduate student has finished in double-digits attacking 15 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.  

• Gedikoglu ranks second and third, respectively, on Mizzou with 232 digs (2.37 digs/set) and 256 kills (2.61 kills/set).

• In her career, Gedikoglu enters the week with 940 kills and 928 digs.

TIGERS ANNOUNCE NATIONAL SIGNING DAY CLASS   

• Missouri Volleyball Head Coach Dawn Sullivan and her staff announced Wednesday 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

• Missouri next hits the road for its regular season finale, traveling to Athens, Georgia, to face the Bulldogs for the second time this season on Saturday, Nov. 25. 

• First serve is set for 1 p.m., CT. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.