University of Missouri
Ole Miss
Volleyball Ready for First SEC Tournament Appearance
11/21/2025 10:39:00 AM | Volleyball
The Tigers will play in the SEC tournament for the first time on Saturday, Nov. 22 as they head to Savannah, Ga. to take on the winner of Ole Miss/LSU for a chance to play No. 3 Texas in the Quarterfinals.
Match #28 • Saturday, Nov. 22 • 7 p.m. ET
Mizzou (17-10, 7-6 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (12-14, 4-11 SEC) or LSU (13-13, 6-9 SEC)
Enmarket Arena • Savannah, Ga.
SERIES HISTORY: MIZ leads Ole Miss 20-11/MIZ leads LSU 15-7 • STREAK: W2/W2
LAST GAME: W, 3-0 vs. Ole Miss (Columbia, Mo. • Oct. 17, 2025)/W, 3-1 vs. LSU (Columbia, Mo. • Oct. 19, 2025)
LIVE STREAM: SEC Network+
OPPONENT WEB: olemisssports.com/lsusports.net
Match #29 • Sunday, Nov. 23 • 7 p.m. ET
Mizzou (16-9, 7-6 SEC) vs. No. 3 Texas (21-2, 13-2 SEC)
Enmarket Arena • Savannah, Ga.
SERIES HISTORY: UT leads 23-11 • STREAK: L1
LAST GAME: L, 3-0 at Texas (Arlington, Texas. • Sept. 26, 2025)
LIVE STREAM: SEC Network
OPPONENT WEB: texaslonghorns.com
No. 6-seeded Mizzou (17-10, 8-7 SEC) volleyball heads to its first-ever SEC Tournament as it will have a first-round bye, after finishing sixth in the conference, pitting them in a second-round matchup on Saturday, Nov. 22 in Savannah, Ga.
The Tigers will have a first-round bye and play the winner of No. 14-seeded Ole Miss and No. 11-seeded LSU in the second round, with that match slated to happen 30 minutes after Match No. 7 (approximately 8 p.m. EST) on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Ga.
The winner of that match will have a date with the No. 3-seeded team in the tournament, No. 3-ranked Texas, with the match happening 30 minutes after Match No. 11 (approximately 8 p.m. EST) on Sunday, Nov. 23, at the same arena.
SERIES HISTORY
- Mizzou leads the all-time series against Ole Miss, 20-11.
- The Tigers have won the past two meetings, including a 3-0 win over the Rebels this season. MU's sweep of Ole Miss was the first time they had done that since Oct. 12, 2018, in Oxford, Miss.
- Mizzou is 2-2 against the Rebels in neutral-site matches, with the last one happening in Evanston, Ill., on Sept. 19, 1998.
- The Tigers lead the all-time series against LSU, 15-7.
- MU has won the last two matchups, including a 3-1 victory earlier this season.
- Mizzou is 0-2 in neutral matches vs. the Tigers, and last played in a neutral match in Houston, Texas (Sept. 27, 1985).
- The Tigers are 11-23 all-time against Texas, and lost the lone matchup this season, 3-0. Mizzou is 1-12 in the last 13 meetings with the Longhorns but is 1-0 in neutral matches vs. Texas.
L.F.G.
- This season, the team's motto is LFG, which stands for Love. Family. Grit.
- The slogan is a big part of the team culture as they use it as their primary source of pride. It has two meanings: the classic LFG motto, which means to fire yourself up, and the other is the three core values the team focuses on.
THE SEC LIBERO OF THE YEAR
- Senior Maya Sands is now the third player in conference history to win the SEC Libero of the Year Award for three straight seasons.
- The Rock Falls, Illinois native is now 3-for-3 in the SEC, having first come to the SEC as a sophomore and won the Libero of the Year Award every year since then.
- Mizzou is one of two schools to have multiple Libero of the Year awards, along with Kentucky.
ALL-SEC
- Two players were named to the All-SEC team this award season, as senior Maya Sands and senior Caylen Alexander earned All-SEC second team honors.
MILESTONE MANIA
- Libero Maya Sands recorded her 1,500-career dig against James Madison (Aug. 29) and on pace to eclipse the 2,000 mark as she is 21 digs away (1,979). Sands currently ranks as the No. 3 player in Mizzou history with 1,567 in a Black & Gold uniform.
- 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 166-70 (.703) 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 57-32 (.640) overall.
- Redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail recently recorded her 300th career block against Arkansas State (9/5/25).
- The redshirt senior recorded 283 in her four-year career with the USC Trojans.
- Senior Regan Haith earned her 300th career block against Auburn (10/12).
- The senior recorded 145 in her two years with Illinois State.
- Senior Caylen Alexander leads the Tigers in kills (390) and recorded her 1,500 career kill against SEMO (10/22).
- Alexander earned her 100th career service ace against Oklahoma (10/5).
- Senior Janet deMarrais played her 100th career match for the Tigers on senior day against Kentucky (11/6).
MAKING AN IMPACT
- The newest Mizzou athletes made a major impact in the regular season as Caylen Alexander led the team in kills (390), Tyrah Ariail is first on the team in blocks (107) and freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez is second on the team in digs (249).
- Freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez has ten or more digs in 13 matches this season and 20 or more in two matches.
- From Oct. 10 to Oct. 26 (seven matches), Caylen Alexander averaged 4.86 kills per set and 5.39 points per set, both stats putting her third in the conference during that span.
NIELSEN RATINGS
- During the 2025 regular season, Mizzou had four games broadcast on National TV, including two on the SEC Network, one on ESPN2, and one on ESPN.
- The Tigers were 2-2 in those games, as they were 2-0 on the SEC Network (W, 3-1 vs. LSU/W, 3-0 at Mississippi State) and 0-2 on the ESPN Network channels (0-1 on ESPN2; L, 3-0 at Texas A&M, 0-1 on ESPN; L, 3-1 vs. Stanford).
- Mizzou was 6-2 on ESPN+ and was 6-6 on the SEC Network+ stream.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
- The Tigers have taken on the No. 2 team twice this season. Before that, the last time they faced a top two team in the country was No. 1 Penn State (December 8, 2017).
- Mizzou in total has taken on six top 25 teams (1-5 in those matches).
FIVE SET STANDARDS
- The Tigers are 2-3 on the season in five set matches but are 12-5 under head coach Dawn Sullivan.
- As a head coach Sullivan is 31-16 all-time in five set matches.
- In 2023 the Tigers went a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches.
SEC SHOWCASE
- Senior libero Maya Sands finished the regular season first in the SEC in digs with 490 and is first with 4.71 digs per set.
- Redshirt junior setter Marina Crownover finished seventh in assists with 9.37 per set.
- Redshirt senior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail was first on the team and is eighth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .367.
- Senior Caylen Alexander finished eighth in kills with 4.11 per set and is seventh in the conference with 4.69 points per set.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A TIGER
- Redshirt junior Marina Crownover spent some time over at NASA last spring shadowing various departments.
- 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 eight. Crownover has 19 during her time at Mizzou, as she had 11 in 2024.
CONFERENCE ON NOTICE
- Senior Libero Maya Sands earned the Tigers their lone 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 earned six conference player of the week honors (three SEC; three Mountain West).
ROAD MAP
- The Tigers spent the first half of season on the road, as 11 of their 12 nonconference matchups were on the road or held at a neutral site. They finished the nonconference schedule overall playing 12 of the 13 games on the road or at a neutral site.
- Mizzou is 5-0 in neutral matches this season.
MAYA SANDS STATEMENT
- The three-time defending SEC Libero of the Year impressed earlier in the season as she set a new career high for digs with 32 against South Carolina (Oct. 24). This was the most digs in all SEC matches.
- Sands led the SEC in digs by over 70 as she finished the regular season 30th in the NCAA for digs per set with 4.71.
INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE
- Ahead of the 2025 season the Tigers added two international products in freshmen Maca Lobaglio (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Nina Mandovic (Subotica, Serbia).
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.
