COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri volleyball team (13-5, 4-2 SEC) earned a four-set (27-25, 25-12, 29-31, 25-18) victory over Mississippi State (7-8, 1-5 SEC) Sunday afternoon at the Hearnes Center.

With the win, Mizzou concludes its four-match homestand with a 4-0 mark and three-straight SEC wins. MU is now tied for third in the SEC with a 4-2 record.

Senior right side hitter Jordan Iliff led the Tigers with 23 kills, 12 digs and four aces on a .315 hitting clip, marking her ninth double-double this season.

Graduate student outside hitter Mychael Vernon joined Iliff in double figures with her eighth double-double this season. She posted 22 kills and 14 digs on a .378 hitting percentage.

Libero Maya Sands tied a career-high, notching 30 digs and 10 assists for her second career double-double and first since her freshman campaign at UNLV (10/6/22, at New Mexico).

Redshirt sophomore setter Marina Crownover tallied 55 assists, 14 digs and two aces for her fifth double-double of the season.

FIRST SET (Mizzou 27-25, Mizzou, leads 1-0)

After trading points to commence the match, the Bulldogs took a 6-3 lead early.

Back-to-back kills by Vernon and Janet deMarrais helped close the gap bringing the score to 8-7 MSU.

Mississippi State then went on a 5-1 run to pull ahead 13-8.

Colleen Finney and Iliff each notched kills before heading into the media timeout with the Bulldogs ahead 15-10.

The Tigers charged out of the timeout with 6-0 run featuring four kills from Vernon as Mizzou took a 16-15 lead.

Two terminations by Regan Haith kept the edge at one (18-17).

deMarrais added a rally stopper to keep the set tied (19-19) before MSU and Missouri exchanged 3-0 runs to tie the score again at 22-22 following an Iliff ace.

Amina Shackelford tallied consecutive kills for set point (24-22). Mizzou then fought back with a 5-1 rally to take the opening set (27-25).

Vernon had eight kills in the first set Sunday on an .889 clip while Iliff chipped in five. Mizzou hit .362 as a team to open the SEC duel.

Crownover offered 20 assists throughout the set.

SECOND SET (Mizzou 25-12, Mizzou leads 2-0)

Mizzou jumped out to a 6-0 edge that forced a Mississippi State timeout. deMarrais offered two kills over the run.

An error by the Bulldogs capped the seven-point Tiger run to commence set #2.

After the run, Mississippi State earned two points, before the Tigers went on a 6-0 run that catapulted the score to 15-2. Iliff notched two aces and a kill over the rally.

Mississippi State pushed back with its own 3-0 run before a Vernon kill.

Sands then delivered an ace to extend the advantage to 18-6.

Mizzou kept its lead at double-figures throughout the set as an Iliff kill followed by a Finney and Crownover block brought on set point (24-12).

MSU scored once more before Mizzou extended its lead in the match to 2-0 (25-12).

Iliff notched five kills while deMarrais added a trio over the second stanza.

THIRD SET (Mississippi State 31-29, Mizzou leads 2-1)

Missouri and Mississippi State swapped points to commence the third set as the two teams were deadlocked after 22 points at 11-11.

Iliff notched three kills while deMarrais and Haith both each tallied two, and Kiaraliz Perez Catala provided an ace to start the third.

The Bulldogs then pulled ahead 18-12 following a 7-1 rally. 

Senior right side hitter Naomi Franco broke into the match with a kill to make the score 19-14 as MSU would grow its advantage to 22-15.

Iliff responded with three kills and an ace, trimming the deficit to 23-20.

Karli Schmidt then brought on set point (24-20) with a kill before five unanswered Tiger points provided Mizzou a 25-24 lead with deMarrais serving.

Vernon slammed back-to-back kills for a 28-27 lead before a Bulldogs miscue made the edge 29-28.

Mississippi State then grabbed the set with three-straight points (31-29).

Iliff and Vernon each had six kills over the third frame Sunday.

The third set featured 15 ties and nine lead changes.

FOURTH SET (Mizzou 25-18, Mizzou wins 3-1)

A 3-0 Tiger run featuring a Vernon kill took Missouri to an 8-5 lead early in the fourth.

Consecutive kills slammed by Vernon and Iliff pushed the Tigers edge to 10-6, causing a Mississippi State timeout.

Crownover then placed a pair of aces during a 5-0 run that extended Missouri's advantage to 15-8.

Iliff added a pair of kills for a 18-12 margin.

A three-point Mizzou spurt featuring two Vernon kills and a kill by Haith then led the Tigers to a 22-15 advantage.

Mississippi worked to close the gap, but Vernon answered with two kills that secured the match for Mizzou (25-18).

Iliff (.500) and Vernon (.294) both compiled seven kills over the fourth set.

MATCH NOTES

• Senior right side hitter Jordan Iliff led the Tigers with 23 kills, 12 digs and four aces on a .315 hitting clip, marking her ninth double-double this season.
• Jordan Iliff has posted 21 or more kills in each of her last two SEC matches and 14 or more kills in each of Mizzou's last four matches.
• With four aces, Jordan Iliff has now registered a career-best 50 in 2024. She now ranks seventh all-time in Mizzou program history for single-season aces.
• Graduate student outside hitter Mychael Vernon joined Jordan Iliff in double figures with her eighth double-double this season. Vernon posted 22 kills and 14 digs on a .378 hitting percentage.
• Mychael Vernon has posted 21 or more kills in each of her last two SEC matches and 12 or more kills in each of Mizzou's last four matches.
• Libero Maya Sands tied a career-high, notching 30 digs and 10 assists for her second career double-double and first since her freshman campaign at UNLV (10/6/22, at New Mexico). Sands previously had 30 digs against Ole Miss on Oct. 15, 2023.
• Redshirt sophomore setter Marina Crownover tallied 55 assists, 14 digs and two aces for her fifth double-double of the season. It marked her fourth 50-plus assist match in 2024.
• Marina Crownover has posted 30 or more assists in each of the last four matches and 55 or more in each of the last two contests.
• Janet deMarrais registered 10 kills, three digs, two blocks and an ace. She has finished in double-digits attacking in four of the last six matches.
• Regan Haith tallied eight kills and three blocks on a .500 hitting percentage.
• Colleen Finney totaled seven kills (.333), three blocks and two assists Sunday.
• The Tigers posted 77 digs, setting a new season-high after registering 71 against Tennessee on Oct. 13.
• The Tigers slammed 73 kills, tying the most by the Tigers this season (also totaled 73 at Northern Kentucky, Sept. 6).
• Mizzou totaled 70 assists, which tied for the most by the Tigers this season (also had 70 assists at Northern Kentucky, Sept. 6).
• With the win, Mizzou completed its four-match homestand 4-0. The Tiger last won four straight Nov. 3-12, 2023.
• Mizzou has now won three consecutive SEC matches and last completed that feat Oct. 11-20, 2023.
• Missouri totaled nine aces with five Tigers notching at least one Sunday.
• Mizzou now leads the all-time series with Mississippi State, 17-4.
• Head coach Dawn Sullivan is now 2-0 against Mississippi State in her Mizzou tenure.

LOOKING AHEAD

• Mizzou next heads to Arkansas (Oct. 25) and Oklahoma (Oct. 27) for a double SEC road weekend. Start times are set for 7 p.m., CT and 2 p.m., CT in the Friday and Sunday matchup. Both matches will be on SEC Network+.

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