DALLAS – The No. 25 ranked and seventh seeded University of Missouri volleyball team (21-8, 11-5 SEC) commenced the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship with a 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 sweep of Texas State (22-9,13-3 Sun Belt) Thursday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.
With the win, Mizzou advanced to the Second Round and will face No. 2 seed and 10th ranked SMU (25-7, 16-4 ACC) Friday at 7 p.m., CT.
The Tigers have now advanced to the Second Round in nine-straight Tournament appearances dating back to 2013. MU is now 19-18 at the Tournament and is competing in its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Mychael Vernon, the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year, notched a team-leading 20 kills on a .313 hitting percentage with six digs, three blocks and an ace in her NCAA Tournament debut.
The Ossining, New York, graduate student had six kills in each of the first two sets (.455 in set #1) before eight in the third (.350).
Jordan Iliff added 11 kills (.348) with six digs, two assists and an ace.
Janet deMarrais who hails from Colleyville, Texas, finished with nine kills in her home state while Colleen Finney chipped in seven kills (.545) with two blocks.
Marina Crownover, a 2024 All-SEC setter from Austin, Texas, dished out 40 assists with 11 digs for the double-double outing in her first career NCAA Tournament match.
Maya Sands, the back-to-back SEC Libero of the Year, grabbed 20 digs with two assists. It marked a personal-best in an NCAA Tournament after opening her career with three-straight nine-dig matches.
Kiaraliz Perez Catala added 11 digs and an ace in her first career NCAA Tournament match.
Mizzou hit .270 over the match including .387 in the first set and .265 in the third stanza.
MATCH NOTES
- Mychael Vernon, the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year, notched a team-leading 20 kills on a .313 hitting percentage with six digs, three blocks and an ace in her NCAA Tournament debut.
- Mychael Vernon has registered 14 or more kills in 13 of the last 14 matches. She has finished in double-digits kills in all but two matches this season (27 of 29).
- Jordan Iliff added 11 kills (.348) with six digs, two assists and an ace. It marked a career-best in NCAA Tournament play for Iliff.
- Jordan Iliff has finished in double-digits offensively in 13 of the last 15 matches. In 2024, she has totaled double-digit kills in all but five matches (24 of 29).
- Jordan Iliff now has 62 aces in 2024 which is two away from Mizzou’s program record for a season. Shen Danru registered a program-best 64 aces in 2002.
- Jordan Iliff also now has 1,201 career kills, good for 10th all-time in Mizzou program history.
- Janet deMarrais who hails from Colleyville, Texas, finished with nine kills in her home state. She has posted nine or more kills in three-straight NCAA Tournament matches.
- Colleen Finney chipped in seven kills (.545) with two blocks. She has now posted seven kills in each of the last two matches. The seven kills Thursday was a personal-best in NCAA Tournament play for Finney.
- Marina Crownover, a 2024 All-SEC setter from Austin, Texas, dished out 40 assists with 11 digs for the double-double outing in her first career NCAA Tournament match.
- Marina Crownover has dished out 22 or more assists in each of the last 14 matches. The double-double marked her 11th of the campaign and the 39th all-time in Mizzou’s NCAA Tournament history.
- Marina Crownover has now totaled fifteen 40-plus assist matches in 2024.
- Maya Sands, the back-to-back SEC Libero of the Year, grabbed 20 digs with two assists. It marked a personal-best in an NCAA Tournament after opening her career with three-straight nine-dig matches.
- Maya Sands has eclipsed the double-digit dig mark in all but one contest this season.
- Maya Sands has totaled 16 or more digs in six of the last seven matches.
- Maya Sands now has 508 digs in 2024 which ranks seventh all-time in Mizzou history.
- Kiaraliz Perez Catala added 11 digs and an ace in her first career NCAA Tournament match.
- With the win, Mizzou advanced to the Second Round and will face the winner of No. 2 seed and 10th ranked SMU (24-7, 16-4 ACC) and Wichita State (18-13, 10-6 American) Friday at 7 p.m., CT.
- The Tigers have now advanced to the Second Round in nine-straight Tournament appearances dating back to 2013. MU is now 19-18 at the Tournament and is competing in its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
