University of Missouri
14-7,5-4SEC
South Carolina
7-12,1-8SEC
Volleyball Earns Fifth-Straight Victory, Against South Carolina
10/24/2025 9:36:00 PM | Volleyball
Senior Maya Sands recorded a new career high as she helped lead the Tigers with 32 digs.
Mizzou volleyball (14-7, 5-4 SEC) took South Carolina (7-12, 1-8 SEC) down in four sets (25-23, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23) on Friday, Oct. 24 at Hearnes Center.
The Tigers and Gamecocks fought hard in a defensive matchup where both teams ended with a .233 hitting percentage.
KEY PLAYERS
- Senior Maya Sands posted a new career-high with 32 digs.
- Senior Caylen Alexander led the team in kills with 24 and a hitting percentage of .396%.
- Redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail, senior Regan Haith and redshirt junior Kimani Johnson each posted four total blocks, respectively.
- Redshirt junior Marina Crownover recorded 45 assists and added four digs to her total stat line.
- Freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez was second on the squad with nine digs, and recorded a kill as a defensive specialist.
First Set (25-23, Mizzou leads 1-0)
In a tightly contested contest, the Tigers opened on top by clinching the first set even with a .108 hitting percentage and seven errors.
From the beginning, it was a battle with nine ties and four lead changes before the first media timeout at 15-13. That would only be the start, as the set lead never reached over three points, as Mizzou led 21-18 – forcing a Gamecock timeout.
Out of the break, USC would go into a 4-0 scoring run, earning them the lead, 22-21. However, the Tigers wrapped up the first set on a 4-1 run with three-straight kills from Alexander.
Second Set (24-26, Match tied 1-1)
The second set was much of the same, as halfway through the second set, the two squads were deadlocked at 15 apiece.
Both sides would earn the lead and give it back as the second timeout of the set was called.
South Carolina, while the score sat at 21-19, with Mizzou leading.
Out of the break, the Gamecocks would go on a 3-0 scoring run, but the Tigers would follow it with a 3-0 run of their own to make it 24-22. At the set point, USC scored four-straight to earn the second set 26-24.
Third Set (25-19, Mizzou leads 2-1)
The third set was the outlier of the match, as the Tigers controlled the set for the majority of the time.
Mizzou went on a 4-1 run as they extended their lead from one to three and further extended that to six points at 18-12 and eventually would go up by as much as seven points after three-straight blocks, including Johnson, who made it 21-14.
At the set point, MU led by five points at 24-19, as Alexander made it six with a kill, wrapping up the third set.
Fourth Set (25-23, Mizzou wins 3-1)
The Tigers secured the first two points for this set, and that was fitting as they wrapped up the set by the same margin. However, while Mizzou led at first, they would have to mount a comeback to win the set, as they trailed by three at the media timeout – 15-12.
However, that lead could have been larger, as the Tigers challenged the call at 14-11, flipping the score from a possible 16-11 deficit to just three points.
USC would hold its initial advantage all the way till Mizzou scored three-straight with two kills from Ariail to knot it up at 19. From there, it was a back-and-forth affair with the score being tied as late as 22-22. The Tigers would go down by one after that, but finish on a 3-0 run with back-to-back kills from Alexander to finish the match.
?GAME NOTES
- Mizzou leads the all-time series against South Carolina 12-8 extending their three-match winning streak against the Gamecocks.
- Dawn Sullivan is now 54-29 as the Tigers head coach, 163-67 overall and is 4-0 against South Carolina.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will continue the home stretch with their annual Volloween promo against Georgia at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26 at Hearnes Center. Fans that want to attend the match can purchase tickets here.
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.
