Mizzou Volleyball racks up All-SEC Awards with four players receiving honors

All-SEC awards were announced by the conference Sunday night, and four players earned honors for their outstanding play. Two of the four, junior Maya Sands and grad-transfer Mychael Vernon, also took home individual awards.

They were joined by senior Jordan Iliff as first-team All-SEC selections, while sophomore Marina Crownover earned second-team honors.

Sands, a first-team All-SEC selection for the second straight year, took home her second consecutive SEC Libero of the Year award after finishing second in the conference in digs with 488. She is tied for first, averaging 4.56 digs per set. She registered double-digit digs in all but one match during the season and reached the 30-dig mark twice.

Vernon, who transferred to Mizzou from Oregon State, where she was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention, earned SEC Newcomer of the Year honors to go along with her first-team selection. Vernon led the Tigers' offense with 450 kills and 4.21 kills per set, which ranked eighth in the SEC. In her one season, she set a new Mizzou record for kills (30) against Arkansas on Oct. 25.

Iliff, the four-year Tiger, earned her second straight All-SEC honor after finishing behind Vernon in kills (402), kills per set (3.76), and points (491.0). Iliff led not only the team but the SEC in service aces with 61, which ranks 10th in the country. In 2024 alone, she reached multiple milestones, including 1,000 career kills and 100 career matches with Mizzou, and ranks 10th all-time in kills.

Crownover, playing her first year with the Tigers after transferring from Texas, earned second-team honors after ranking sixth in the SEC in assists (1,010) and second in assists per set (10.74). She recorded fewer than 20 assists in only four matches, while reaching 60 twice. She also made a big impact on defense, ranking fourth on the team in digs (198).