Volleyball Set for SEC Road Contest at #23 Auburn

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (12-7, 4-4 SEC) travels to Auburn, Alabama, to face #23 Auburn (14-4, 4-3 SEC) Friday. First serve is set for 6 p.m., CT at Neville Arena.

The match will be televised on SEC Network with Sam Gore and Madison Fitzpatrick on the broadcast.

Missouri is currently ranked 34th for (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 against Auburn, 14-3. 

• In their latest matchup, the Tigers defeated Auburn, 3-1, in Columbia, Missouri, on Oct. 16, 2022. Mizzou lost a five-set battle to Auburn the day prior to split the two-match series. 

• The last time Missouri traveled to Auburn, Alabama, the Tigers edged Auburn, 3-2, on Oct. 17, 2021.

• Mizzou recorded a 12-match win streak over Auburn in the all-time series from Sept. 4, 2011, to Oct. 18, 2019. 

SANDS NAMED SEC CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK 

• Libero Maya Sands was named the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after grabbing a career-high 30 digs to go with two assists and an ace against the Rebels (Oct. 15). 

• The outing marked Sands’ ninth 20-plus dig outing of the year as she combined for 42 digs (5.25 digs/set) this past week. She has posted 20 or more digs in four of the last five matches. 

• The Rock Falls, Illinois, native, surpassed her previous personal-best of 25 digs, which she previously set in the Tigers’ non-conference finale at Eastern Illinois on Sept. 15.

• The sophomore also tallied 12 digs to go with two assists at Alabama on Oct. 11. 

• She currently leads the conference with 342 digs (40th in the NCAA), while averaging 4.75 digs per set (34th in the NCAA). In league play, she paces the conference with 157 digs (5.06 digs/set).

• The SEC weekly honor marks the first for Sands at Mizzou and is the fourth in her career (three Mountain West Player of the Week awards). She is the first Tiger to earn SEC Defensive weekly honors since Tyanna Omazic on Oct. 26, 2020.

DUDLEY SELECTED SEC CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

• Sierra Dudley earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after she registered a career-best 60 assists against Ole Miss (Oct. 15), while adding 12 digs to record her seventh double-double of the season. 

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

• Dudley combined for 107 assists (13.38 assists/set) to go with 21 digs (2.63 digs/set) over Mizzou’s SEC slate this past week. 

• 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 most for an SEC setter over three sets this season in conference play.

• Dudley has recorded ten 40-plus assist performances during the 2023 campaign, finishing with 40 or more assists in four of the last five matches. 

• She ranks second in the SEC with 700 assists (44th in the NCAA) and fifth with 10.00 assists per set. In conference play, Dudley is fourth with 11.00 assists per set (330 assists). 

• With Dudley at setter, Mizzou has hit over .300 in two of the last four matches and .251 or higher in three of the last four.

• The SEC weekly honor is the first for Dudley in her career. Mizzou previously last earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Sept. 7, 2021 (Kaylee Cox).

TIGERS SECURE BACK-TO-BACK SEC VICTORIES

• Missouri locked down back-to-back SEC victories this past week over Alabama (Oct. 11, 3-0) and Ole Miss (Oct. 15, 3-2). The Tigers previously last won back-to-back SEC contests in 2020, when Mizzou beat Mississippi State in a two-match series (March 24 and 25). 

• The Tigers combined for a season-best team hitting percentage of .354 at Alabama on Oct. 11 with a trio of student-athletes finishing with 10-plus kills. 

• Janet deMarrais paced Mizzou with a then career-best 24 kills on a .400 clip with seven digs and two aces. She contributed 26.5 points.

• Dilara Gedikoglu added a double-double of 13 kills and 14 digs while hitting at rate of .370 and Jordan Iliff chipped in 12 kills (.360) with eight digs and two aces.

• Colleen Finney added four kills and two blocks while Morgan Isenberg finished with three blocks and a kill.

• Three Mizzou players then logged double-digit kills in Sunday’s (Oct. 15) win over Ole Miss including Janet deMarrais clocking a career-high 30, Dilara Gedikoglu adding 14, and Jordan Iliff putting up 11.

• Janet deMarrais also added 13 digs to register the second double-double of her career (Oct. 15). 

• Graduate student Dilara Gedikoglu compiled her seventh double-double of the season, as she contributed 12 digs, a block and an ace against Ole Miss (Oct. 15).

• Jordan Iliff registered her fifth-straight double-digit kill match in the win over the Rebels (Oct. 15). 

• Morgan Isenberg paced the defense with seven blocks to go with eight kills on a .429 hitting clip (Oct. 15). 

DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS FOR MISSOURI

• With the wins over Alabama (Oct. 11) and Ole Miss (Oct. 15), Missouri has surpassed double-digit wins (12) for the first time since 2020 (16-8, 15-7 SEC). 

• The victories over the Crimson Tide and the Rebels improved Mizzou’s SEC win total to four, which surpassed its conference win total (2) from the past two seasons. 

DEMARRAIS ALL THE WAY 

• Janet deMarrais registered 54 kills (6.75 kills/set) and 20 digs (2.50 digs/set) on a .317 hitting percentage this past week. deMarrais tallied career-best kill outings over the pair of matches. 
• She 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. 
• For deMarrais, it marked her ninth straight double-digit kill match (10th in 2023).
• The outside has tallied six or more digs in each of Mizzou’s previous seven matches, including a career-best 13 digs against Ole Miss (Oct. 15). 
• The Colleyville, Texas, native, has registered 15 or more kills in each of the last five 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 eight 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 has recorded 137 kills (4.42 kills/set) in SEC play this season. Currently, she ranks third in the league for kills per set and points per set (4.97, 154.0 points).
• deMarrais is also averaging 3.01 kills per set (202 kills) overall this season (17th in the SEC).

IT’S JO TIME 

• Jordan Iliff has remained a steady offensive presence for the Tigers. In its most recent win over Ole Miss, the junior did it all for Mizzou, tallying 11 kills, nine digs, four blocks and an ace on Sunday (Oct. 15). 

• For Iliff, Sunday’s contest marked the fifth-straight match the outside has registered double-digit kills (Oct. 15). 

• In that span, she has posted 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. 

• Iliff has now totaled 10 or more kills in 14 matches this season.

• She leads Missouri in the front row with 231 kills (3.25 kill/set, 12th in the SEC) during the 2023 campaign. 

• In the SEC, Iliff ranks seventh for points (278.0, 3.92 points/set, ninth in the SEC), while ranking eighth for total kills (231). 

• In SEC play, she ranks fifth in the league for aces (0.45 aces/set, 14).

• The six-rotation right side is doing it all for the Tigers, as she’s recorded 14 matches with five-plus digs, including a trio of double-doubles. 

• Iliff has posted eight or more digs in each of the last seven matches, including a career-high 15 against South Carolina (Sept. 24), followed by 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 an ace in each of the last seven matches including two or more in all but one of those matches. 

• 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).

MO MAKING MOVES

• Morgan Isenberg was a force at the net against the Rebels on Oct. 15, pacing the Mizzou front line with seven blocks to go with eight kills (.429). 

• The middle blocker ranks 26th nationally and second in the SEC in total blocks with 89 (1.25 blocks/set, fifth in the SEC) this season. 

• In SEC play, she ranks seventh with 1.23 blocks/set (38 blocks).

• Isenberg has recorded three-plus blocks in 16 matches during the 2023 campaign. 

• Over Missouri’s last five matches in October, the junior has secured 27 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 nine times in 2023, including a career-high nine against South Dakota (Sept. 2).

• The junior has recorded 11 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 compiled her seventh double-double of the season in the Tigers’ win over Ole Miss, recording 14 kills (.313 hitting percentage) and 12 digs. She also had a block and an ace against the Rebels (Oct. 15). 

• The graduate student has finished in double-digits attacking 12 times this season including six of the last seven matches. 

• Gedikoglu tallied 13 kills (.370) to complement 14 digs and a block in Mizzou’s win at Alabama (Oct. 11).

• The outside 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, also 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 four 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 and third, respectively, on Mizzou with 197 kills (2.77 kills/set) and 179 digs (2.52 digs/set) this season. 

• In her career, Gedikoglu enters Friday’s match with 881 kills and 875 digs. 

APPROACHING 500 CAREER KILLS 

• Colleen Finney and Naomi Franco are both less then 10 career kills away 500 in their collegiate careers.

• Finney, a graduate student from Blythewood, South Carolina, has started in all 19 contests this season. She has compiled 84 kills (1.20 kills/set) in 2023 and is eight (492) kills away from 500 in her career. Finney totaled 408 kills over three seasons at Clemson. 

• Franco, a senior from from Fayetteville, Georgia, has registered 18 kills over 11 matches this season with Mizzou. She notched 479 kills over three seasons at Syracuse and is three kills away from 500 (497) 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 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 returns home to take on #12 Tennessee at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday, October 25, in the Tigers’ Volleween match. First serve is set for 7 p.m., CT. 

• Fans can participate in pre-match trick-or-treating, costume contest and receive Mizzou’s Volleween limited edition poster. Following the match, the 2023 Missouri team will be signing autographs. 

• The match will be streamed on SEC Network.

• Following that contest, Missouri will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, for a rematch against Ole Miss on Sunday, October 29. 

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.