The University of Missouri volleyball team (15-5, 6-2 SEC) treks to Austin, Texas, to take on No. 9 Texas (12-4, 7-1 SEC) in a prime-time matchup between the top two teams in the SEC Friday evening at Gregory Gymnasium. First serve is set for 8 p.m., CT on SEC Network.
Alex Loeb and Shelby Coppedge will be on the call Friday in Mizzou’s first of three consecutive linear broadcasts. Friday also marks MU’s third of five total matches on SEC Network this season.
Mizzou heads into this week riding a six-match win streak (five-match SEC win streak). It marks the second six-match win streak, previously notching the feat Sept. 13-27. The Tigers’ five-match SEC win streak is their longest since the 2020-21 season (six matches, Nov. 4 to Jan. 30).
Missouri is currently receiving votes (19) in this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I Poll. The Tigers have now received votes three times this season (preseason, Sept. 2 and now Oct. 28).
MU is also ranked 24th this season for RPI (fourth highest SEC school).
The Tigers rank first in the SEC for assists per set (13.86, second in NCAA), kills per set (14.73, first in the NCAA), assists (1,026), kills (1,090) and aces (145, 1.96 aces per set, second in SEC). Mizzou is also second in the conference for hitting percentage (.300, seventh in NCAA).
SERIES HISTORY
• Texas leads the all-time series with Missouri, 22-10.
• The two times last met over the 2011 season with the Longhorns picking up a 3-1 decision in Columbia, Missouri, Nov. 19.
• Texas has won the last 11 meetings. Mizzou last beat Texas, 3-0, Sept. 23, 2006, in Columbia, Missouri.
• The Tigers last beat Texas in Austin, Sept. 18, 2002 (3-1).
TEXAS CONNECTION
• Redshirt sophomore setter Marina Crownover returns to her hometown of Austin, Texas, where she helped Texas capture a pair of National Championships 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Mizzou in January of 2024.
• Crownover who attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal High School appeared in 10 matches over two seasons (2022-23) with the Longhorns, compiling 13 assists and 10 digs.
• Mizzou Technical Coordinator Jhenna Gabriel also returns to her alma mater of Texas Friday. She ranks sixth all-time in Texas program history with 3,491 assists (2018-21) and was named the 2020 Big 12 Setter of the Year and AVCA All-American.
• The 2024 Mizzou roster also features five Texans including Crownover, Aspen Maxwell (Humble, Texas), Vivian Parker (Aledo, Texas), Grace Sweeney (Midlothian, Texas) and Janet deMarrais (Colleyville, Texas). Alayna Pearson also transferred to Missouri from Texas A&M.
CROWNOVER NAMED SEC SETTER OF THE WEEK
• Marina Crownover was named the SEC Setter of the Week, the league announced Monday. The weekly honor marks Crownover’s SEC-leading third selection of the season.
• Crownover totaled 121 assists (13.44 assists/set) with 23 digs (2.56 digs/set) and five aces as Missouri went 2-0 on its SEC road trip at Arkansas (Oct. 25) and at Oklahoma (Oct. 27).
• She compiled a career best 61 assists and four aces with 11 digs as Mizzou hit .260 at Arkansas. Crownover’s 61 assists rank second in the SEC this season for a match.
• She has now registered 60 or more kills in each of the last two SEC matches.
• Crownover ranks first in the SEC during league play with 12.16 assists per set (389 assists). Overall, in 2024, she is second in the league, averaging 10.65 assists per set (17th in the NCAA, 671 assists, eighth in SEC).
• Over Mizzou’s six-match win streak, Crownover has registered 30 or more assists in each match and 44 or more in each of the last five SEC matches (55 or more assists in each of the last four matches).
TIGERS EXTEND WIN STREAK TO SIX
• Mizzou extended its win streak to six-straight matches with road victories over Arkansas (Oct. 25) and Oklahoma (Oct. 27) this past weekend.
• Mychael Vernon notched a career-best and Mizzou program-record 37 kills against at Arkansas.
• Libero Maya Sands grabbed a career-best matching 30 digs with four assists and an ace against Arkansas. It marked her second-straight 30-dig match and third time in her career.
• Senior right side hitter Jordan Iliff appeared in her 100th career match as a Missouri Tiger at Arkansas. She totaled eight kills, eight digs, two aces and three blocks.
• Janet deMarrais notched double-digit kills in both matches (10 at Arkansas, 13 on a .375 hitting percentage at Oklahoma) and has finished with 10 or more in four-straight matches (five of the last six).
• Kiaraliz Perez Catala tallied a season-best 19 digs at Arkansas for her second double-digit dig outing in 2024.
• Missouri grabbed a season best 93 digs with four student-athletes in double-digits at Arkansas. The Tigers last had 90 plus digs at Auburn, Oct. 17, 2021 (96 digs).
• Iliff led the Tigers offense, compiling 23 kills, six digs, three blocks and an ace at Oklahoma.
• Regan Haith posted 10 kills (.500) and three blocks at Oklahoma. She has notched six or more kills and three or more blocks in each of the last three matches. It also marked the fourth season-best 10-dig match of this season for her (first 10-dig match during SEC play).
• Colleen Finney has notched six or more kills in each of the last three matches and two or more blocks in each of the last four matches.
• Mizzou registered 71 kills at Oklahoma, its third highest total in 2024 and third 70-plus kill match.
PROGRAM RECORD
• Mychael 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.
• Vernon hit .385 and registered a double-double, adding 17 digs and two blocks. Her 37 kills and 38.0 points are the highest kill total for an SEC player during SEC play this season.
• Overall, Vernon led the Missouri offense with 54 kills (6.00 kills/set) on a .347 hitting percentage as Missouri went 2-0 on its SEC road trip at Arkansas and at Oklahoma. She also grabbed 28 digs (3.11 digs/set) with four blocks and three aces.
• Vernon also chipped in 17 kills (.283) with 11 digs, career-best matching three aces and two blocks at Oklahoma (10/27). The double-double outing marked her 10th of the campaign. She has posted 17 or more kills in each of the last four matches.
• The graduate outside hitter from Ossining, New York, ranks second in the SEC with 323 kills (4.36 kills/set, fifth in SEC) and 360.0 points (4.86 points/set, seventh in SEC). In league action, Vernon is second in the SEC with 5.09 kills per set (163 kills) and third in the conference with 5.59 points per set (179.0 points).
MAYA SANDS
• Libero Maya Sands totaled 46 digs (5.11 digs/set) with five assists and two aces as Missouri went 2-0 on its SEC road trip at Arkansas and at Oklahoma.
• Sands grabbed a career-best matching 30 digs with four assists and an ace at Arkansas (10/25). The match marked her second-straight 30-dig outing in 2024 and third time in her career she’s registered 30 digs. Her 30 digs rank second in the SEC this season.
• She then grabbed 16 digs with an ace at Oklahoma (10/27).
• Sands ranks second in the SEC with 4.77 digs per set (353 digs). Overall, she is also second in the league with 4.91 digs per set (157 digs).
JORDAN ILIFF
• Senior right side hitter Jordan Iliff has posted 21 or more kills in three of the last four SEC matches (five 20-plus kill matches in 2024).
• She most recently led the Tigers’ offense, compiling 23 kills, six digs, three blocks and an ace at Oklahoma (10/27).
• Iliff competed in her 100th career match as a Missouri Tiger at Arkansas (10/25). She most recently surpassed 1,000 career kills and 100 career aces against Alabama on Oct. 11. Iliff totaled eight kills, eight digs, two aces and three blocks.
• Iliff has registered a career-best 53 aces in 2024. She now ranks sixth all-time in Mizzou program history for single-season aces.
• Iliff ranks first in the SEC (second in the NCAA) with 0.72 aces per set (53 aces, fourth in the NCAA). In SEC-only matches, she is first in the league with 24 aces (0.75 aces/set).
• She is also third in the conference for points (358.5.0, 4.84 points/set, eighth) and sixth for kills (289, 3.91 kills/set, eighth).
• Iliff ranks sixth in the SEC during league play with 4.70 points per set (150.5 points) and averaging 3.69 kills per set (118 kills).
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 Austin, Texas, the Tigers return to Columbia, Missouri, for a three-match homestand.
• Mizzou will host Georgia on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., CT before wrapping the week against South Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 10. Both matches will be featured 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.
