University of Missouri
Arkansas
Volleyball Hits the Road to Take on Arkansas and Oklahoma
10/24/2024 1:03:00 PM | Volleyball
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Mizzou (13-5, 4-2 SEC) at Arkansas (14-4, 4-2 SEC) | at Oklahoma (9-7, 3-5 SEC) |
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Match Information |
Friday, Oct. 25 • 7 p.m., CT • Fayetteville, Ark. • Barnhill Arena |
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Match Coverage |
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Match Information |
Sunday, Oct. 27 • 2 p.m., CT • Norman, Okla. • McCasland Field House |
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Match Coverage |
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Social Media |
Facebook: /MizzouVolleyball X: @MizzouVB | Instagram: @MizzouVB |
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Match Notes |
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Volleyball team (13-5, 4-2 SEC) hits the road this weekend for a pair of SEC matchups following a four-match homestand at the Hearnes Center.
Mizzou will take on Arkansas (14-4, 4-2 SEC) Friday at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in a tilt between the third ranked SEC programs this season. The Tigers then wrap the weekend set of road contests at Oklahoma (9-7, 3-5 SEC) Sunday afternoon at McCasland Field House.
Match times this weekend are set for 7 p.m., CT Friday and 2 p.m., CT Sunday.
Both matches will be featured on SEC Network+. Brett Dolan and Lauren Evans will be on the broadcast at Arkansas while Chad McKee and Kelly Files are on the broadcast Sunday at Oklahoma.
The Tigers rank first in the SEC for assists per set (13.75, first in NCAA), hitting percentage (.304, fifth in NCAA), kills per set (14.60, third in the NCAA), assists (894) and kills (949). Mizzou is also second in the conference for aces (132, 2.03 aces/set, 11th).
SERIES HISTORY
• Mizzou leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 15-6.
• Arkansas has won the last three meetings between the two institutions including most recently Oct. 8, 2023 (3-1) in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
• Mizzou last beat the Razorbacks in consecutive matches Nov. 4-5, 2020, in Columbia, Missouri, 3-2 and 3-0.
• The Tigers last beat Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Oct. 7, 2018 (3-0).
• Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Missouri, 39-33.
• The two teams last met in 2011, with Mizzou and Oklahoma splitting the two-match series. The Tigers picked up a 3-0 win in the most recent meeting with the Sooners on Oct. 29, 2011, after OU earned a five-set win on Oct. 5, 2011, in Norman, Oklahoma.
• Mizzou last beat Oklahoma in Norman, Nov. 5, 2005, with a 3-0 sweep.
TIGERS WRAP HOMESTAND 4-0
• Mizzou earned a four-set (27-25, 25-12, 29-31, 25-18) victory over Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at the Hearnes Center to conclude the Tigers' four-match homestand with a 4-0 mark and three-straight SEC wins.
• Jordan Iliff led the Tigers with 23 kills, 12 digs and four aces on a .315 hitting clip, marking her ninth double-double this season.
• Mychael Vernon joined Iliff in double figures with her eighth double-double this season. She posted 22 kills and 14 digs on a .378 hitting percentage.
• Maya Sands tied a career-high, notching 30 digs and 10 assists for her second career double-double and first since her freshman campaign at UNLV (10/6/22, at New Mexico).
• Marina Crownover tallied 55 assists, 14 digs and two aces for her fifth double-double of the season.
• Janet deMarrais registered 10 kills, three digs, two blocks and an ace. She has finished in double-digits attacking in four of the last six matches.
• Regan Haith tallied eight kills and three blocks on a .500 hitting percentage.
• Colleen Finney totaled seven kills (.333), three blocks and two assists Sunday.
• The Tigers posted 77 digs, setting a new season-high after registering 71 against Tennessee on Oct. 13.
• The Tigers slammed 73 kills, tying the most by MU this season (also totaled 73 at Northern Kentucky, Sept. 6).
• Mizzou totaled 70 assists, which tied for the most by the Tigers this season (also had 70 assists at Northern Kentucky, Sept. 6).
JORDAN ILIFF
• Senior right side hitter Jordan Iliff has posted 21 or more kills in each of her last two SEC matches and 14 or more kills in each of Mizzou's last four matches.
• Iliff most recently led the Tigers against Mississippi State with 23 kills, 12 digs and four aces on a .315 hitting clip, marking her ninth double-double this season. It also was Iliff's fourth 20-plus kill match in 2024.
• With four aces, Jordan Iliff has now registered a career-best 50 in 2024. She now ranks seventh all-time in Mizzou program history for single-season aces.
• Iliff ranks first in the SEC (third in the NCAA) with 0.77 aces per set (50 aces).
•She is also fourth in the conference for points (321.0, 4.94 points/set, fifth) and seventh for kills (258, 3.97 kills/set, eighth).
• Iliff ranks sixth in the SEC during league play with 4.91 points per set (113.0 points) and 10th in the conference with 3.78 kills per set (87 kills).
• In SEC-only matches, she is first in the league with 21 aces (0.91 aces/set).
• Iliff is set to play in her 100th career match at Mizzou on Friday. She most recently surpassed 1,000 career kills and 100 career aces against Alabama on Oct. 11.
MARINA CROWNOVER
• Marina Crownover has posted 30 or more assists in each of the last four matches and 55 or more in each of the last two contests.
• The redshirt sophomore from Austin, Texas, most recently tallied 55 assists, 14 digs and two aces in Mizzou's four-set win over Mississippi State Sunday. For Crownover, it marked her fifth double-double of the season and fourth 50-plus assist match in 2024.
• Crownover ranks second in the SEC during league play with 11.65 assists per set (268 assists). Overall, she is seventh in the league with 10.19 assists per set (550, ninth).
MYCHAEL VERNON
• Graduate outside hitter Mychael Vernon has posted 21 or more kills in each of her last two SEC matches and 12 or more kills in each of Mizzou's last four matches.
• She most recently posted her eighth double-double of the season Sunday against Mississippi State. Vernon posted 22 kills and 14 digs on a .378 hitting percentage.
• Vernon, an Ossining, New York, native, has started in all 18 matches for Mizzou this season and has also notched 162 digs and 32.0 blocks, playing six rotations.
• She has registered double-digit kills in all but two matches this season.
• Vernon surpassed 200 career blocks in her collegiate career at Kentucky on Oct. 6 (173 at Oregon State).
• Vernon registered 17 kills on a career-best .640 hitting percentage, with seven digs and career-best matching three aces in her SEC debut at LSU on Sept. 27.
• Vernon followed that effort with a career-best matching 26 kills on a .311 clip in a five-set battle against Texas A&M on Sept. 29. She also added 11 digs, four blocks, and two assists.
• She ranks fifth in the SEC for kills (269, 4.14 kills/set, seventh in the SEC) and seventh for points (301, 4.63 points/set, eighth).
• In SEC only matches, Vernon is third with 4.74 kills per set (109 kills) and fourth with 5.22 points per set (120.0 points).
MAYA SANDS
• Libero Maya Sands has posted 16 or more digs in each of her last four matches.
• The Rock Falls, Illinois, native, tied a career-high in digs and assists against Mississippi State, notching 30 digs and 10 assists. It marked her second career double-double and first since her freshman campaign at UNLV (10/6/22, at New Mexico).
• Her 30 digs on Sunday against Mississippi State tied for the highest total for an SEC libero during league play.
• Sands ranks second in the SEC with 4.83 digs per set (111 digs) during league play and 4.72 digs per set overall (307 digs).
• The junior has notched double-digit digs in every match this season. She has posted 20-plus digs in five matches in 2024.
• Sands has totaled 849 digs over two seasons at Mizzou.
• She also ranks tied for second in the NCAA for best receivers (2.52 from VolleyMetrics).
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• The 2024 campaign marks the second for head coach Dawn Sullivan who led the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2020 as she was selected SEC Coach of the Year this past fall.
• During her first season, Sullivan guided Missouri to an impressive 18-13 mark including a .500 (9-9) record in SEC play, surpassing the Tigers' combined win total from the past two seasons (nine in 2022, five in 2021).
• In SEC play, Missouri went on both three-match and four-match win streaks in 2023, while also securing five wins over top-50 AVCA (based on KPI, Pablo, and RPI rankings) teams and nine wins over top-100 AVCA teams including two ranked wins over Auburn (#23 and #24, Oct. 20 & Nov. 12).
• The eight-win overall improvement from 2022 (nine wins), tied for 12th nationally and ranked second among Power Five institutions.
• Mizzou received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll over the first two weeks of the season. The Tigers will face eight teams (nine matches) ranked in the preseason top 25.
• Mizzou returns six of seven starters from 2023 including a trio of All-SEC performers in Maya Sands (SEC Libero of the Year), Jordan Iliff and Sierra Dudley. Sands and Iliff also earned AVCA Southeast All-Region recognition.
LOOKING AHEAD
• Following this weekend's pair of road SEC matchups, the Tigers next head to No. 7 ranked Texas for a Friday night showdown in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 1. First serve is set for 8 p.m., CT on SEC Network.
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 X, Instagram, and Facebook.
