University of Missouri
20-8,11-5SEC
Auburn
14-13,4-12SEC
No. 24 Volleyball Celebrates Seniors with Sweep of Auburn
12/1/2024 12:02:00 AM | Volleyball
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 24 ranked University of Missouri volleyball team (20-8, 11-5 SEC) swept Auburn (14-13, 4-12 SEC), 25-18, 25-19, 25-16, in their final regular-season match Saturday night at the Hearnes Center.
The Tigers conclude their regular season 20-8 overall and 11-5 in the SEC, Auburn drops to 14-13 and 4-12 in the SEC, respectively.
Mizzou has registered 20 overall wins and 10-plus SEC wins in a season for the first time since 2019.
The Tigers also finished tied for third in the 2024 SEC standings with Florida at 11-5.
MU next looks to make its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and earn its second-straight postseason berth.
The team swung an SEC season-best .406 hitting percentage led by two Tiger seniors with double-digit kills. Mizzou hit .295 over the first set, .464 in set #2 and .517 to conclude the match.
Jordan Iliff and Mychael Vernon both wrapped the match with 14 kills. Iliff completed a double-double adding 10 digs while hitting .500. Vernon posted two blocks and nine digs to go with her team-leading offensive outing. The pair had five kills in the opening set, and each had six-kill sets (Vernon in the second, Iliff in the third).
Redshirt-sophomore Marina Crownover surpassed 1,000 career assists Saturday. The Austin, Texas, native, put up 38 assists against Auburn to push her career assist total to 1,023 (1,010 at Mizzou). She also had eight digs, a block and a dig. Crownover opened the match with 16 assists before 11 in both the second and third frames.
Junior libero Maya Sands recorded seven digs with two aces and four assists.
Senior Kiaraliz Perez Catala led the team with three aces to match a career high (NCAA Division I) last set against Ole Miss (Nov. 22). She also had six digs Saturday. Perez Catala has now posted three aces five times in her NCAA Division I career (three times in 2024).
Junior Regan Haith led the team with three blocks to go with six kills and two digs.
All seven seniors saw playing time Saturday.
Colleen Finney notched seven kills (.545) with two blocks. Setter Sarah White posted an assist. Naomi Franco recorded a kill and a block. Morgan Isenberg also tallied a kill.
MATCH NOTES
- Two Tigers reached double-digit kills. Jordan Iliff and Mychael Vernon knocked down 14 kills, respectively.
- Jordan Iliff completed a double-double, her 14th of the campaign, adding 10 digs onto her 14 kills. The senior from St. Louis swung .500 on the night.
- Jordan Iliff has finished in double-digits offensively in 12 of the last 14 matches. In 2024, she has totaled double-digit kills in all but five matches (23 of 28).
- Mychael Vernon posted two blocks and nine digs to go with her team-leading offensive outing.
- Mychael Vernon has registered 14 or more kills in 12 of the last 13 matches. She has finished in double-digits kills in all but two matches this season (26 of 28).
- Redshirt-sophomore Marina Crownover surpassed 1,000 career assists Saturday. The Austin, Texas, native, put up 38 assists against Auburn to push her career assist total to 1,023 (1,010 at Mizzou). She also had eight digs, a block and a dig.
- Marina Crownover has dished out 22 or more assists in each of the last 13 matches.
- Junior libero Maya Sands recorded seven digs with two aces and four assists. She has eclipsed the double-digit dig mark in all but one contest this season.
- Maya Sands' 488 digs this season ranks ninth all-time in Missouri program history.
- Senior Kiaraliz Perez Catala led the team with three aces to match a career high (NCAA Division I) last set against Ole Miss (Nov. 22). She also had six digs Saturday. Perez Catala has now posted three aces five times in her NCAA Division I career (three times in 2024).
- Junior Regan Haith led the team with three blocks to go with six kills and two digs.
- Regan Haith's hitting percentage of .556 led the team Saturday, extending her streak of a clip over .300 to seven-straight contests.
- Janet deMarrais finished with four kills while freshman Claire Morrissey added two kills and a dig.
- All seven seniors saw playing time Saturday.
- Colleen Finney notched seven kills (.545) with two blocks.
- Setter Sarah White posted an assist.
- Naomi Franco recorded a kill and a block.
- Morgan Isenberg also tallied a kill.
- The 3-0 sweep was Mizzou's ninth of the season (fourth in SEC play).
- Mizzou has registered 20 overall wins and 10-plus SEC wins in a season for the first time since 2019.
- The Tigers also finished tied for third in the 2024 SEC standings with Florida at 11-5.
- Mizzou is now 17-3 all-time against Auburn and has won each of the last four meetings between the two Tigers dating back to Oct. 16, 2022.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Mizzou will next watch the 2024 NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, to see the Tigers postseason destination. The show will be broadcasted on ESPN at 5 p.m., CT.
- MU looks to make its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and second-straight postseason berth.
- The First and Second Rounds of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball tournament will be held Thursday, Dec. 5 through Saturday, Dec. 7.
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.
