Sands and Vernon Earn SEC Volleyball Awards, Four Tigers Named All-SEC
12/1/2024 3:09:00 PM | Volleyball
Sands Named SEC Libero of the Year while Vernon Tabbed Newcomer of the Year
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Four members of the No. 24 ranked University of Missouri volleyball team earned 2024 All-SEC honors, the conference announced Sunday afternoon. Libero Maya Sands and outside hitter Mychael Vernon highlighted the four Tigers recognized as the duo earned SEC Libero of the Year and SEC Newcomer of the Year, respectively.
Sands and Vernon were joined on the 2024 All-SEC First Team by right side hitter Jordan Iliff while setter Marina Crownover was tabbed to the 2024 All-SEC Second Team.
Mizzou last had four All-SEC selections in 2018 with Alyssa Munlyn, Kylie Deberg, Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana, Leketor Member-Meneh and Andrea Fuentes (All-Freshman).
Maya Sands earned SEC Libero of the Year and All-SEC honors for the second-straight season Sunday. Sands is the only Tiger to ever earn SEC Libero of the Year, which was first awarded in 2009.
The junior from Rock Falls, Illinois, ranked second during the conference slate with 4.49 digs per set (292 digs). She also had 15 aces.
Overall, in 2024, Sands paced the SEC with 4.56 digs per set (488 digs). She registered double-digit digs in all but one match this season. Sands compiled a career-best matching 30 digs twice in 2024, against Mississippi State (Oct. 20) and at Arkansas (Oct. 25).
Sands notched her second career double-double versus MSU (Oct. 20), adding 10 assists to go with her 30 digs.
Mychael Vernon was named SEC Newcomer of the Year and to the All-SEC First Team Sunday. Vernon has now earned conference honors each of the past two seasons as she was named All-Pac-12 as a senior with Oregon State.
The graduate student from Ossining, New York, ranked fourth in SEC play with 4.46 kills per set (290 kills) and 4.92 points per set (320.0 points). She was the top newcomer in the SEC for both categories.
Overall, in 2024, Vernon paced Mizzou with 450 kills (4.21 kills/set, eighth in SEC) and 501.0 points (4.68 points/set, eighth in SEC). She registered a career-best 37 kills against Arkansas (Oct. 25) to set a new Mizzou single-match record. Vernon has finished in double-digits kills in all but two matches this season (26 of 28) along with 13 double-doubles.
Vernon was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30.
Jordan Iliff was named to the All-SEC First Team Sunday and has now earned All-SEC honors in back-to-back seasons.
The senior from St. Louis, was pegged SEC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 16 & Oct. 14) twice in 2024.
Iliff ranks first in SEC play with 32 aces (0.49 aces/set). Her career-best nine aces against Texas A&M (Sept. 29) set a new Mizzou single-match record. Iliff was second on Mizzou during SEC play with 231 kills (3.55 kills/set), 158 digs (2.43 digs/set) and 283.0 points (4.35 points/set).
Overall in 2024, Iliff ranked second on Mizzou in 2024 with 402 kills (3.76 kills/set) and 263 digs (2.46 digs/set). She is 10th in the SEC this season with 4.59 points/set (491.0). Iliff also leads the Tigers and the SEC with 61 aces this season, which ranks second all-time in MU program history.
She registered a career best 24 kills against Illinois (Sept. 20) and personal best 21 digs vs. Tennessee (Oct. 13). She has totaled double-digit kills in all but five matches (23 of 28) and has 14 double-doubles in 2024.
Iliff surpassed 1,000 career kills, 500 career digs, 100 career aces and 100 career matches at Mizzou in 2024. She ranks 10th all-time in Mizzou program history for career kills (1190).
Marina Crownover was named to the 2024 All-SEC Second Team for her first career all-conference honors.
The three-time SEC Setter of the Week (Sept. 16, Oct. 14, Oct. 28) led the conference in SEC play with 728 assists (11.56 assists/set). Crownover notched a career best 61 assists and four aces at Arkansas (Oct. 25).
Overall, the Austin, Texas, native, ranked second in the SEC with 10.74 assists/set (1010). She surpassed 1,000 career assists in 2024 and has totaled fourteen 40-plus assist matches in 2024.
Crownover also tallied a personal best 15 digs versus Illinois.
2024 All-SEC First Team
Kennedy Martin, Florida
Sophie Fischer, Georgia
Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky
Emma Grome, Kentucky
Jurnee Robinson, LSU
Nia Washington, Ole Miss
Jordan Iliff, Missouri
Maya Sands, Missouri
Mychael Vernon, Missouri
Alexis Shelton, Oklahoma
Riley Whitesides, South Carolina
Nina Cajic, Tennessee
Marianna Singletary, Texas
Madisen Skinner, Texas
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla, Texas A&M
Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M
2024 All-SEC Second Team
Courtney Jackson, Arkansas
Jaela Auguste, Florida
Elli McKissock, Florida
Erykah Lovett, Georgia
Molly Tuozzo, Kentucky
Kari Geissberger, Oklahoma
Lydia Martyn, Oklahoma
Marina Crownover, Missouri
Caroline Kerr, Tennessee
Reagan Rutherford, Texas
2024 SEC All-Freshman Team
Aniya Madkin, Arkansas
Jaela Auguste, Florida
Taylor Parks, Florida
Brooke Bultema, Kentucky
Asia Thigpen, Kentucky
Victoria Harris, South Carolina
Ayden Ames, Texas
2024 SEC Awards
Player of the Year: Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky
Libero of the Year: Maya Sands, Missouri
Newcomer of the Year: Mychael Vernon, Missouri
Freshman of the Year: Jaela Auguste, Florida
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Cammy Niesen, Ole Miss
Coach of the Year: Craig Skinner, Kentucky
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.
