PITTSBURGH – The No. 25 ranked and seventh seeded University of Missouri volleyball team saw its historic 2024 season come to a close, as the Tigers dropped a four-set decision (20-25, 20-25, 25-16, 13-25) to third-seeded and 11th-ranked Kentucky Thursday afternoon in the Regional Semifinal round of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship at Petersen Events Center.
Kentucky (23-7) hit .347 for the match, riding a match-high 22 kills from Brooklyn DeLeye to its 14th victory in a row and a berth in Saturday’s Regional Final against the winner of top-seeded Pittsburgh and fourth-seeded Oregon.
In its third meeting of the season with Kentucky, Mizzou (22-9) fought back from a two-sets-to-none deficit to take just the fifth set by a Wildcats opponent during UK’s current win streak.
Two-time All-SEC performer Jordan Iliff powered the Tigers’ attack Thursday with 20 kills on .341 hitting, narrowly missing a double-double with nine digs and two aces. It marked a career-best in NCAA Tournament play in her final match at Mizzou.
Iliff has totaled double-digit kills in all but five matches (26 of 31) this season. She also has finished in double-digits offensively in 15 of the last 17 matches.
Iliff extended her Mizzou program record for aces in 2024, finishing with 68. She completes her Mizzou career 10th all-time for kills (1,237) and seventh for aces (124).
Marina Crownover registered 37 assists and three digs. She has dished out 22 or more assists in each of the last 16 matches. The 2024 All-SEC Setter totaled 1,139 assists in her first season donning the Black & Gold. Crownover finished with 129 assists over the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Colleen Finney added six kills, three blocks and career-high two assists on a .545 hitting percentage to help pace Mizzou. It marked her second .545 match (sixth in MU NCAA Tournament history) in the past three matchs over the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
She finishes her career ranked third at Mizzou with a .374 hitting percentage over her two seasons.
Back-to-back SEC Libero of the Year Maya Sands grabbed 13 digs with four assists.
Sands has eclipsed the double-digit dig mark in all but one contest this season. Her 535 digs this season will go down sixth all-time for a single-season at Mizzou.
2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year and 2024 AVCA Central Region Player of the Year Mychael Vernon also finished in double-digits attacking, posting 11 kills, six digs and two blocks for her third-straight 10-plus kill NCAA Tournament match in as many appearances (54 kills at 2024 NCAA Tournament).
Vernon concludes her collegiate career with 1,569 kills (career-best 504 in 2024, sixth in Mizzou history). She averaged 4.27 kills per set which ranks second for a career at MU.
Despite the setback, the Tigers concluded the 2024 campaign with their second-straight trip to NCAA Postseason play–and their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2017.
Mizzou turned in a strong start to the match, jumping out to a 7-5 edge in the first set, thanks in large part to three-straight kills by Vernon.
The Wildcats bounced back by winning nine of the next 12 points to seize a 14-10 advantage, however. After the Tigers closed the gap to one point (20-19) on another Vernon kill, UK concluded out the set by winning five of the next six points to take the opener, 25-20.
The Wildcats hit .457 with just a pair of errors in the opening stanza, led by Brooke Bultema’s five kills in the set. Mizzou in comparison started the match at .303.
Kentucky carried its momentum into the second stanza, leading from start to finish in another 25-20 set. The Wildcats led 9-8 before a string of five-straight points opened what would turn into an 11-4 run. 2024 SEC Player of the Year Brooklyn DeLeye keyed the attack with four kills over the same stretch, helping hand the Wildcats an eight-point margin – the largest of the match to that point.
But the Tigers caught fire in the third set, using a 10-0 scoring run to take control. Three service aces by Kiaraliz Perez Catala coupled with four kills by Vernon put Mizzou in the driver’s seat.
UK got no closer than eight the rest of the way, as Iliff closed out the 25-16 decision for MU with her eighth kill of the set. The Tigers hit a blistering .520 in the third to help neutralize the hot start by the Wildcats.
Iliff had eight kills (.583) and Vernon tallied six (.500) over the third period.
The Wildcats returned to form in the fourth, using an 8-2 spurt to take control of the set, before closing out the game–and match–in style by winning 20 of the last 29 points in the 25-13 win.
UK hit .345 and recorded four blocks in the fourth to advance to its first Elite Eight appearance since 2020, when the Wildcats captured their first national championship.
Making their 19th NCAA Postseason appearance and fifth Regional Semifinal, the Tigers dropped to 20-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Under second-year head coach and 2024 AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year Dawn Sullivan, Mizzou tied for third in the SEC, logging 22 total victories and 10-plus SEC wins for the first time since 2019.
Seven seniors appeared in their final match for Mizzou Thursday led by Iliff and Morgan Isenberg who both have competed all four seasons. The other graduating players include Finney, Vernon, Perez Catala, Sarah White and Naomi Franco.
Isenberg made her fifth start of the season (37th in her career) at middle blocker, tallying five kills (.556) and three blocks (two solo) in her first start since Sept. 20 against Illinois.
Isenberg’s career average of 1.08 blocks per ranks third in Mizzou history.
Perez Catala posted eight digs with three aces. Her trio of aces rank tied for eighth at Missouri in NCAA Tournament history.
Junior Janet deMarrais finished Thursday with six kills (.429) and two blocks.
Senior setter Sarah White returned to her home state of Pennsylvania this week for the 2024 NCAA Regional Semifinal. The Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, native, started her collegiate career at Ohio State before transferring to Mizzou for her final two seasons. She played club volleyball with Pittsburgh Elite.
Kentucky now leads the all-time series against Missouri, 18-5, taking all three matches in 2024 (home, road, neutral).
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