Volleyball Set to Host #12 Tennessee Wednesday

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (13-7, 5-4 SEC) is set to face #12 Tennessee (16-3, 7-2 SEC) on Wednesday in the Tigers’ Volleween match. First serve is set for 7 p.m., CT at the Hearnes Center. 

The match will be televised on SEC Network with Sam Gore and Emily Ehman on the broadcast.

Missouri enters the week ranked 30th for RPI (Rating Percentage Index), after posting its third-straight SEC win at #23 Auburn on Oct. 20. 

With three more wins, the Tigers can match their overall win total from 2020 (16-8, 15-7 SEC). 

Help us pack Hearnes for Volleween, fans can purchase $2 tickets online. 

PROMOTIONS

• Fans will have the chance to celebrate Volleween with the Tigers at Wednesday’s contest.  
• At the match, fans can participate in a variety of Halloween festivities, including pre-match trick-or-treating with Mizzou student-athletes and costume contest.
• Fans in attendance can receive Mizzou’s limited edition Volleween poster. 
• The 2023 team will also host a post-match autograph session. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Missouri leads the all-time series against Tennessee, 11-9. 
• The Tigers faced the Lady Vols to open SEC play this season with then #14 Tennessee prevailing, 3-0, in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Sept. 20.  
• In the Lady Vols’ last trip to Columbia, Missouri, the Tigers defeated Tennessee in a five-set thriller (Nov. 24, 2021). The Tigers are 7-1 all-time at home against Tennessee. 
• In the all-time series, Missouri claimed six-straight victories over Tennessee, from Oct. 11, 2013, to Nov. 26, 2016. 

ILIFF NAMED SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Jordan Iliff earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday (Oct. 23). The junior tallied 13 kills (.357) and eight digs with two blocks and two aces to help Mizzou secure a 3-0 road sweep over then-ranked #23 Auburn (Oct. 20). 
• The St. Louis, native, has now finished in double-digits attacking in six-straight matches. Iliff has also totaled 10 or more kills in 15 matches this season. 
• The rightside hitter has also posted eight or more digs in each of the last five matches.
• In Missouri’s win over Ole Miss, the junior did it all for Mizzou, tallying 11 kills, nine digs, four blocks and an ace on Oct. 15.
• Iliff opened October with 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 and 13-kill outing at #23 Auburn. 
• She leads Missouri in the front row this season with 244 kills (3.30 kill/set, 13th in the SEC) during the 2023 campaign. Iliff also ranks 10th in the SEC for points per set (3.30 points/set).
• The St. Louis, native, has logged 16 total aces in the Tigers last eight matches, dating back to Mizzou’s matchup against South Carolina (Sept. 24). In SEC play, she ranks third in the league for aces (0.47 aces/set, 16).
• Iliff has also provided a steady presence for Mizzou in the back row, recording 15 matches with five-plus digs, including a trio of double-doubles. The junior has posted eight or more digs in each of the last eight matches, including a career-high 15 against South Carolina (Sept. 24), followed by 14 at Texas A&M (Oct. 1).
• 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).

AUBURN RECAP 

• Missouri swept then-ranked #23 Auburn in Auburn, Alabama, on Friday (Oct. 20). 
• The match marked Mizzou’s first road victory over a ranked SEC opponent since Oct. 21, 2018, when the Tigers took down then #11-ranked Florida (3-2).
• Mizzou led in every statistical category except blocks. Missouri held a 6-2 advantage in aces.
• The sweep was also Missouri’s second in the past three matches.
• Jordan Iliff led the way for Missouri, pacing the Tigers with 13 kills on a .357 clip. 
• Sophomore Janet deMarrais extended her double-digit kill streak to 10 matches (11th in 2023), recording 11 kills to complement six digs and three blocks. 
• Mizzou had a solid presence out of the middle, as Morgan Isenberg clocked eight kills (.727) and three blocks, while Colleen Finney chipped in five kills (.364) with three blocks.
• Freshman setter Sierra Dudley handed out 31 assists, while adding three digs.
• Libero Maya Sands snagged 12 digs with a trio of assists and an ace. 

OUR LIBERO

• Libero Maya Sands contributed 12 digs, along with three assists and an ace to help lead the Tigers’ to a 3-0 sweep over #23 Auburn on Oct. 20. 
• The sophomore 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 the Rebels (Oct. 15). The outing was the second-highest dig total in the SEC this season.
• Sands has posted 20 or more digs in four of the last six matches. 
• She currently leads the conference with 4.72 digs per set (39th in the NCAA) and is second in the SEC with 354 digs (66th in the NCAA), including 12 matches with 15 or more digs.
• In league play, she paces the conference with 169 digs (4.97 digs/set).
• Sands has logged double-digit digs in every match this season, including 20-plus digs nine times.
• The libero also paces the Tigers behind the service line with 26 aces (0.35 aces/set, fifth in the SEC). She has tallied a season-best three aces in four separate matches this season.

FRESHMAN SETTER

• Sierra Dudley registered 31 assists with a trio of digs and a kill against #23 Auburn (Oct. 23), marking her eighth-straight match with 30-plus assists.
• The setter recently 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 against the Rebels 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. 
• The freshman from Spartanburg, South Carolina, also 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 second most for an SEC setter over three sets this season in conference play.
• Dudley has recorded 10 40-plus assist performances during the 2023 campaign, including eight matches with at least 45 assists. She ranks fourth in the SEC with 731 assists (10.01 assists/set, fourth in the SEC) during the 2023 campaign. 
• In conference play, she is fourth with 10.94 assists per set and 361 assists. 
• In the back row, Dudley has logged 16 matches with five or more digs, including securing double-digit digs seven 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 (Aug 27). She combined for 146 assists over the season-opening Mizzou Classic (Aug. 25-27).

DEMARRAIS ALL THE WAY 

• Janet deMarrais clocked 11 kills in Mizzou’s win over #23 Auburn, tallying her 10th-straight double-digit kill match (Oct. 20). deMarrais has recorded 10 or more kills 11 times this season. 
• The sophomore totaled 54 kills (6.75 kills/set) and 20 digs (2.50 digs/set) on a .317 hitting percentage during the Tigers’ slate against Alabama (Oct. 11) and Ole Miss (Oct. 15). 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. 
• The outside has tallied six or more digs in each of Mizzou’s previous eight matches, including a career-best 13 digs against Ole Miss (Oct. 15). 
• The Colleyville, Texas, native, registered 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.
• deMarrais has appeared in the Mizzou starting lineup in each of the last nine 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 paces the SEC in league play with 148 kills (4.35 kills/set). She is also third with 4.90 points per set (166.5 points).
• Overall, deMarrais ranks 15th in the league for kills per set (3.04, 213 kills).

MO MAKING MOVES

• Morgan Isenberg was a force at the net against #23 Auburn, finishing Oct. 20 with eight kills on a .727 hitting clip, while adding three blocks and matching a career-high two digs.
• The outing marked the middle blocker’s second-straight eight-kill match. The hitting percentage was Mizzou’s highest since Kenna Sauer posted a mark of .700 at Ole Miss on Nov. 21, 2020.
• Isenberg registered seven blocks and eight kills (.429) in Mizzou’s win over the Rebels on Oct. 15.
• The middle blocker ranks 48th nationally and third in the SEC with 92 total blocks (1.24 blocks/set, fifth in the SEC) this season. 
• In SEC play, she ranks sixth with 1.21 blocks/set (41 blocks).
• Isenberg has recorded three-plus blocks in 17 matches during the 2023 campaign. 
• Over Missouri’s last six matches in October, the junior has secured 30 blocks (1.30 blocks/set), 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 12 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 finished Friday (Oct. 20) with nine digs, four kills, three assists, two aces and a block as Mizzou swept then #23 Auburn. 
• The graduate student has compiled eight or more digs in each of the last eight matches. 
• She compiled her seventh double-double of the season in the Tigers’ win over Ole Miss (Oct. 15), recording 14 kills (.313 hitting percentage) and 12 digs. She also had a block and an ace against the Rebels.
• Gedikoglu has finished in double-digits attacking 11 times this season including five 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 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 188 digs (2.54 digs/set) and 201 kills (2.72 kills/set).
• In her career, Gedikoglu enters the week with 885 kills and 884 digs. 

APPROACHING 500 CAREER KILLS 

• Colleen Finney and Naomi Franco are both less than five career kills away 500 in their collegiate careers.
• Finney, a graduate student from Blythewood, South Carolina, has started in all 20 contests this season. She has compiled 89 kills (1.22 kills/set) in 2023 and is just three (497) kills away from 500 in her career. Finney totaled 408 kills over three seasons at Clemson. 
• Franco, a senior from Fayetteville, Georgia, has registered 19 kills over 12 matches this season with Mizzou. She notched 479 kills over three seasons at Syracuse and is two 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 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, as the Tigers travel to Oxford, Mississippi, for their second matchup of the season against the Rebels on Sunday. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m., CT. 

• The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.

• Following that contest, Missouri will host Mississippi State at the Hearnes Center on Friday, Nov. 3.

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.