University of Missouri
Arkansas
No. 21 Mizzou Volleyball Returns to Hearnes for First Home SEC Weekend
10/2/2025 11:42:00 AM | Volleyball
The Tigers will host their first home game in a month, as they take on Arkansas and Oklahoma in the Hearnes SEC opening weekend
Game #14 • Friday, Oct. 3 • 7 p.m. CT
No. 21 Mizzou (8-5, 0-2 SEC) vs. Arkansas (5-8, 1-1 SEC)
Hearnes Arena • Columbia, Mo.
SERIES HISTORY: MIZ leads 16-6 • STREAK: W1
LAST GAME: W, 3-1 at Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark. • Oct. 25, 2024)
LIVE STREAM: SEC+
OPPONENT WEB: arkansasrazorbacks.com
Game #15 • Sunday, Oct. 5 • 2 p.m. CT
No. 21 Mizzou (8-5, 0-2 SEC) at Oklahoma (9-3, 1-1 SEC)
Hearnes Arena • Columbia, Mo.
SERIES HISTORY: OKLA leads 39-34 • STREAK: W2
LAST GAME: W, 3-2 at Oklahoma (Norman, Okla. • Oct. 27, 2024)
LIVE STREAM: SEC+
OPPONENT WEB: soonersports.com
No. 21-ranked Mizzou (8-5) returns home for its SEC home-opener as Hearnes Arena welcomes Arkansas (5-8, 1-1 SEC) and Oklahoma (9-3, 1-1 SEC).
The Tigers open with the Razorbacks at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3, and the Sooners at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5, with both matches being in Columbia, Mo.
Both games will be streamed via SEC+.
SERIES HISTORY
- Mizzou leads the all-time series 16-6.
- The Tigers are 10-1 at home against the Razorbacks, suffering their lone loss in Columbia on Nov. 16, 2022.
- MU first took on Arkansas on Sept. 9, 1995, in Fayetteville, Ark. The Tigers have a one-match winning streak in the series, as they won the last matchup (Oct. 25, 2024; at Arkansas) 3-1.
- Oklahoma leads the all-time series 39-34. • Mizzou is 17-13 at home against the Sooners and currently has a two-match win streak.
- The Tigers first took on Oklahoma in 1976, as they later became conference mates in the Big 12.
PRESEASON HONORS
- Mizzou posted two players on the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List with senior transfer outside hitter Caylen Alexander and senior libero Maya Sands.
- Alexander joined the Tigers in 2025 after transferring from Hawai'i, where she was named an AVCA All-American after leading the NCAA in kills with 611, averaging 5.09 kills per set.
- Sands has headlined Mizzou's defense for the past two years, as she heads into her senior season as the two-time reigning SEC Libero of the Year and AVCA All-American in
MILESTONE MANIA
- Libero Maya Sands recorded her 1,500-career dig against James Madison (Aug. 29).
- The now-senior recorded 535 digs during her junior year, following her 2023 campaign that saw her post 542 digs. Sands began her career with UNLV, where she compiled 412 digs in her freshman season before transferring to Mizzou.
- Sands recorded her 100th career service ace against Rhode Island (Sept. 11)
- Head coach Dawn Sullivan recorded her 150th career win against James Madison (Aug. 29)
- Sullivan is currently 157-65 in her career after recording a record of 109-38 (.741) in her five years with UNLV. With the Tigers, the third-year coach is 48-27 overall.
- Redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail recently recorded her 300th career block against Arkansas State (9/5/25).
- Ariail was one block short of tying her career high as she posted eight blocks in the five-set victory.
- The redshirt senior recorded 283 in her four-year career with the USC Trojans.
SEC PRESEASON
- Mizzou was picked to finish fourth in the 2025 SEC Preseason Poll with 182 points.
- Kentucky, the defending conference champion, was picked to repeat in the SEC after earning 218 points.
- Senior Maya Sands was selected as the lone player from Mizzou on the Preseason All-SEC Team.
MAKING AN IMPACT
- The newest Mizzou athletes have already made a major impact as Caylen Alexander leads the team in kills (155), Tyrah Ariail is second on the team in blocks (43) and freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez is third on the team in digs (87).
- Freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez has ten or more digs in four games this season.
FIVE SET STANDARDS
- The Tigers are 1-1 on the season in five set matches but are 11-3 under head coach Dawn Sullivan.
- As a head coach Sullivan is 30-14 all-time in five set matches.
- In 2023 the Tigers went a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A TIGER
- Redshirt junior Marina Crownover spent this past summer as an intern working for NASA.
- The setter is majoring in Physics at Mizzou and has a goal of becoming a pilot and flying jets such as F-22s.
CAYLEN ALEXANDER: AN UNDERDOG STORY
- Last season, Caylen Alexander led the NCAA in kills for Hawai'i (611).
- However, the story isn't about her success as much as it is her journey to college, as she earned only two scholarships coming out of high school (Hawai'i and Chicago).
SETTING THE STANDARD
- Marina Crownover against TCU recorded 54 assists, and 21 digs - a new career high.
- Crownover, with this stat line, became the first Tiger since Lei Wang to post a 20-20 match with 20+ assists and 20+ digs (Sept. 17, 2008).
- The redshirt junior leads the team in double-doubles with six. Crownover has 17 during her time at Mizzou, as she had 11 in 2024.
CONFERENCE ON NOTICE
- Senior Libero Maya Sands earned the Tigers their first SEC Player of the Week Award. Sands was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23.
- The senior recorded 60 digs in 10 sets (6.00 digs per set) and was one dig shy of her career high with 29 against Valparaiso (Sept. 19).
- Sands has now earned six conference players of the week honors (three SEC; three Mountain West)
- She ranks first in the SEC in digs (227) and digs per set (4.73) and is 22nd in the country for digs per set.
ROAD MAP
- The Tigers will have just their second home game of the year against Arkansas as they were traveling for 10 of their 11 nonconference matchups.
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.
