University of Missouri
Ole Miss
No. 25 Volleyball Treks to the Magnolia State
11/21/2024 11:03:00 AM | Volleyball
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No. 25 Mizzou (18-6, 9-3 SEC) at Ole Miss (16-9, 6-7 SEC) | at Mississippi State (10-13, 4-10 SEC) |
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Match Information |
Friday, Nov. 22 • 6:30 p.m., CT • Oxford, Miss. • Gillom Athletic Performance Center |
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Match Coverage |
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Match Information |
Sunday, Nov. 24 • 2 p.m., CT • Starkville, Miss. • Newell-Grissom Building |
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Match Coverage |
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Match Notes |
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 25 ranked University of Missouri volleyball team (18-6, 9-3 SEC) wraps its regular-season road slate this weekend with a trip to the Magnolia State. Mizzou will face Ole Miss (16-9, 6-7 SEC) Friday in Oxford before heading to Starkville for a meeting with Mississippi State (10-13, 4-10 SEC) Sunday.
Match times are set for 6:30 p.m., CT at the Gillom Athletic Performance Center Friday before a 2 p.m., CT SEC road finale at the Newell-Grissom Building.
Both matches will be featured on SEC Network+. Jake Hromada (play-by-play), Brittney McLaughlin (analyst) and Keiran Lencheski (reporter) will be on the call at Ole Miss.
MU is ranked in the top-25 for the second-straight week this season. The Tigers previously received votes four times this season (preseason, Sept. 2, Oct. 28 and now Nov. 4) before breaching the top-25 on Nov. 11.
MU is ranked 22nd this season for RPI (fourth highest SEC school).
Mizzou welcomed a season-high 6,379 fans to the Hearnes Center Friday (Nov. 15) against Florida. It marked the fifth 3,000-plus match in 2024 and is the fourth-highest Mizzou Volleyball crowd in program history and the largest since Nov. 27, 2013 (vs. Arkansas). MU ranks 21st in the nation for average attendance (3,095) this season.
The Tigers have matched their SEC (9) and overall win (18) totals from 2023, when Dawn Sullivan was named SEC Coach of the Year. Mizzou last picked up double-digit SEC wins in 2020 with 15.
The Tigers rank first overall in the SEC for assists per set (13.75, second in NCAA) and kills per set (14.55, fourth in NCAA). Mizzou is also first in the SEC for assists (1,251), kills (1,324). MU is also second in the conference for hitting percentage (.297, eighth in NCAA) and aces (166, 1.82 aces per set).
In league action, Mizzou is first in the SEC for assists (13.69 assists/set, 671) and kills (14.43 kills/set, 707) while ranking third for aces (1.61 aces/set) and hitting percentage (.275).
Missouri is fourth in the SEC standings with a 9-3 record behind Texas (10-3 SEC), Florida (11-3 SEC), and Kentucky (12-2).
SERIES HISTORY
• Missouri leads the all-time series with Ole Miss, 18-11. The two teams split the 2023 series with each team winning in their respective building.
• Mizzou overcame Ole Miss in five sets Oct. 15, 2023, before dropping a four-set decision in Oxford, Mississippi, on Oct. 29.
• MU last beat Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, 3-2, and, 3-1, Nov. 20-21, 2020.
• Mizzou leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 17-4.
• Missouri most recently beat MSU, in four sets in Columbia, Missouri, on Oct. 20.
• The Tigers last beat the Bulldogs in Starkville, Mississippi, with a pair of 3-0 sweeps March 24-25, 2021.
FLORIDA RECAP
• Missouri most recently dropped a hard-fought, five-set battle to No. 21 Florida on Nov. 15.
• The Tigers welcomed its fourth-largest crowd in program history (6.379) and the largest crowd since Nov. 27, 2013 (vs. Arkansas, 7,437 fans).
• Mychael Vernon led Mizzou with 17 kills along with seven digs and a block, ace and assist.
• Jordan Iliff logged 14 kills and nine digs in a near double-double. She also added six blocks, two aces and an assist.
• Janet deMarrais was the third Tiger in double-digits offensively with 10.
• Colleen Finney notched a career-best matching seven blocks to go with nine kills (.438) and two digs. It was the second-straight seven-block match for Finney.
• Maya Sands led Missouri defensively with 23 digs, marking her third straight outing exceeding 16 digs. Sands also added four assists Friday.
• Marina Crownover dished out 47 assists, her ninth straight performance with at least 37 assists. The Austin, Texas, native, added six digs, two blocks and a kill.
• Regan Haith finished with seven kills (.308) and four blocks. Haith has posted seven or more kills in two of the last three matches. She has also posted four or more blocks in each of the last four matches.
• Kiaraliz Perez Catala tallied 13 digs Friday. It marked her fourth double-digit dig match as a Missouri Tiger.
•The loss marked the conclusion of a nine-match win streak, which was the longest since the 2016 season where Missouri won 13 in a row (nine SEC matches).
BLOCK PARTY
• Mizzou has registered 11 or more blocks in each of the last two matches.
• MU most recently posted 11 against No. 21 Florida on Nov. 15.
• Colleen Finney notched seven while Jordan Iliff had six followed by Regan Haith (4) and Marina Crownover (2).
• The Tigers registered a season-best 11.5 blocks against South Carolina (Nov. 10).
• The block totals are the most for Missouri since notching 12 against Georgia on Nov. 5, 2023.
DEMARRAIS ON A TEAR
• Janet deMarrais has finished in double-digits attacking in each of the last eight matches.
• She most recently notched 10 kills with a block against No. 21 Florida.
• deMarrais, a junior from Colleyville, Texas, is third on Mizzou offensively with 254 kills (2.79 kills/set) this season (133 kills in SEC play).
COLLEEN FINNEY
• Colleen Finney has totaled a career-best matching seven total blocks in each of the last two matches for Mizzou.
• She most recently notched the feat against No. 21 Florida, adding nine kills (.438) and two digs.
• For Finney, a graduate middle blocker from Blythewood, South Carolina, it marked her fourth time in her career with seven total blocks.
• She has posted five or more kills in each of the last seven matches including 10 kills (.500) against Georgia (Nov. 6) for her second double-digit kill match of the season.
• She is second on Mizzou with 64.0 total blocks (0.72 blocks/set).
• In SEC play, Finney is hitting .387 which ranks fourth in the conference.
MARINA CROWNOVER
• Marina Crownover dished out 47 assists in No. 25 Mizzou's five-set match against No. 21 Florida on Nov. 15. The Austin, Texas, native, added six digs, two blocks and a kill in the top-25 matchup.
• Crownover has registered 37 or more assists in each of the last nine matches.
• The redshirt sophomore setter recorded 57 assists with seven digs, two kills and an ace as Mizzou hit a season-best during SEC play .378 against Georgia (11/6).
• Crownover, the three-time SEC Setter of the Week this season, paces the league during SEC matches with 11.86 assists per set (581 assists). Overall, she is second in the SEC with 10.79 assists/set (863 assists, eighth in SEC).
• Crownover registered a career-best 61 assists at Arkansas (Oct. 25). She has compiled eight double-doubles in 2024 over 18 starts (22 total matches, started in all 12 SEC matches).
JORDAN ILIFF
• Jordan Iliff has finished in double-digits offensively in eight of the last 10 matches. In 2024, she has totaled double-digit kills in all but five matches (19 of 24).
• Iliff most recently logged 14 kills and nine digs against Florida. Iliff also added six blocks, two aces and an assist.
• With two aces, she moved into fourth all-time in Mizzou program history with 58 aces in 2024 (tied with Yvette Buhlig, 1992). Shen Danru registered a program-best 64 aces in 2002.
• Iliff notched a Mizzou program-best nine service aces at Texas A&M (Sept. 29) to go with 15 kills and 10 digs.
• Iliff also reached 500 career digs in the match against Georgia (Nov. 6), tallying her 11th double-double of the season with 18 kills (.371) and 12 digs, two aces, a block and an assist
• The St. Louis native competed in her 100th career match as a Missouri Tiger at Arkansas (10/25) and surpassed 1,000 career kills and 100 career aces against Alabama on Oct. 11.
• Iliff ranks first in the SEC (third in the NCAA) with 0.64 aces per set and 58 aces (seventh in the NCAA). In SEC-only matches, she is first in the league with 0.59 aces/set (29 aces).
• She is also sixth in the conference for points (424.5, 4.66 points/set, ninth) and ninth for kills (344, 3.78 kills/set, 12th).
• During league play, Iliff has 4.42 points per set (216.5 points) and is averaging 3.53 kills per set (173 kills).
MYCHAEL VERNON
• Mychael Vernon led No. 25 Mizzou with 17 kills along with seven digs, a block, an ace and an assist in its five-set match against No. 21 Florida on Nov. 15.
• Vernon has registered 14 or more kills in each of the last nine matches.
• She finished with 20 kills on a .349 hitting percentage to pace the Mizzou offense against Georgia (11/6). She also had five digs, two assists, two blocks and an ace.
• Vernon ranks third in the SEC during league play with 4.69 kills per set (230 kills) and 5.19 points per set (254.5 points). Overall, Vernon is third in the SEC for points (435.5) and total kills (390).
• Vernon notched a career-best 37 kills against Arkansas (10/25) to surpass Paola Ampudia's 35 kills (Oct. 24, 2009, at Kansas) to become MU's single-match program record holder. She also finished with 38.0 points which also is a Mizzou single-match record.
• She was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30 and has finished in double-digits kills in all but two matches this season (22 of 24).
• She is also 45 kills away from 1,500 in her career.
MAYA SANDS
• Junior Maya Sands led Missouri defensively with 23 digs and four assists against No. 21 Florida (Nov. 15).
• She has totaled 16 or more digs in each of the last three matches. She has also finished with double-digit digs in every match this season.
• Sands leads the SEC during league play with 4.61 digs per set and 226 digs. Overall, in 2024, she is first in the SEC with 4.64 digs per set and second with 422 total digs.
• The Rock Falls, Illinois, native and 2023 SEC Libero of the Year surpassed 1,000 career digs earlier in the season (vs. NC State, Sept. 1) and is 36 digs away from notching 1,000 as a Missouri Tiger.
VOLLEYBALL SIGNS FIVE FOR NATIONAL SIGNING DAY
• Missouri announced Thursday the signing of five student-athletes for National Signing Day. Maca Lobaglio, Paige Felder, Asia Harvey, Ashley Euston, and Zoey Matias have all inked with the Tigers and will head to Missouri ahead of the 2025 campaign.
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 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 Mizzou's trip to Mississippi, the Tigers return home to Columbia to wrap the 2024 regular season.
• MU will host No. 12 Kentucky Wednesday, Nov. 27 for Fansgiving at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou then takes on Auburn on Senior Night Saturday, Nov. 30 in the regular-season finale.
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.
