University of Missouri
17-11,8-7SEC
Ole Miss
14-14,4-11SEC
Volleyball Falls in Second Round of the SEC Tournament in a Five Setter
11/22/2025 11:13:00 PM | Volleyball
The Tigers dropped their inaugural match in the SEC Tournament as they lost in five sets to Ole Miss.
Mizzou volleyball (17-10, 8-7 SEC) falls, 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 22-25, 25-17, 14-16), to Ole Miss (12-14, 4-11 SEC) in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Ga.
The Tigers rallied from down 2-1 to force a fifth set, before eventually falling in the nailbiter.
KEY PLAYERS
- Senior Caylen Alexander had her best match at Mizzou as she posted 32 kills, 16 digs, 2 blocks and one service ace, all while hitting .368 for the match.
- Redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail recorded 13 kills on a .321 hitting percentage, while also collecting five blocks.
- Senior Maya Sands led the team with 17 digs, and freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez added 15.
FIRST SET (25-20, Mizzou leads 1-0)
In the opening frame, the Rebels came out strong with a four-point advantage early at 7-3; however, the Tigers would rally back to even it with a solo block from Haith at 8-8.
That even playing field would be important before the first timeout, as the two squads had six lead changes in that span. Mizzou would earn the lead right before the break as Alexander posted a solo block on the Rebel attack.
Out of the break, the Tigers would carry that momentum with a 6-2 run, forcing Ole Miss to take two-straight timeouts as Mizzou led 21-16. With a five-point lead, the Tigers were firmly in control and would coast to the end of the set 25-20.
MU would dominate the opener defensively as the Rebels were held to a .050 hitting percentage in the set.
SECOND SET (21-25, Tied at 1-1)
Once again, Ole Miss came alive to give itself an early lead, going up 6-2, and once again, it was erased early on, as a 5-1 run knotted it at seven apiece. However, in this one, the Rebels would hold the advantage at the break with a 15-13 lead.
That point margin would be significant in the latter part of the set, as the Rebels would go up 21-19. A missed attack and a kill at the net from freshman Paige Felder would foil that lead and put the Tigers back in it as the score was 21- 21.
The Rebels would storm back and take four of the following four points to win the second set 25-21.
THIRD SET (22-25, Ole Miss Leads 2-1)
Mizzou would skip the part where it would have to tie the match early, as the Tigers opened the third set with five straight, including a kill from Alexander and a block from Ariail and redshirt sophomore Grace O'Reilly.
Ole Miss would flip the switch with a 7-2 run, including five straight, as the Tigers were forced into a timeout with the Rebels leading 14-13. Ole Miss would extend that lead slightly, but the next timeout would come from the Rebels as Mizzou went on a 3-1 scoring run to make it 20-18 in favor of Ole Miss.
The Tigers would battle back to tie the game at 22-22; however, the Rebels finished with a 3-0 run to take a 25-22 lead.
FOURTH SET (25-17, Match tied 2-2)
Mizzou would once again take charge of the score early, and would hold that into the first timeout, as the Tigers would lead 12-8 with the Rebels taking it. However, that favor would be returned, as the Rebels scored four straight, making it 12 all, forcing a Mizzou timeout.
After that break, the Tigers would come alive, taking a four-point advantage, as they went on an 8-4 run to make it 20-16. After that, the Rebels would take a break, as Ariail would force it after back-to-back points (block and kill).
In the end, the Tigers would finish the set on an 8-1 run, and Mizzou would go into their sixth five-set match this season after winning the set 25-17.
FIFTH SET (16-14, Ole Miss wins 3-2)
With limited room for error, the Rebels would hold the initial lead 6-4, but Mizzou would erase that lead quickly with a 4-0 scoring run. That run would include a kill from Felder, a block from Ariail, a kill from Alexander, and the teams would switch sides after an ace from Sands.
That lead would go back to the Rebels as they followed suit with a 3-0 scoring run – 10-9 Ole Miss. The battle would continue until Mizzou had it near the end, when it led 14-12 after an ace from Crownover. However, Ole Miss pulled out one last string of points, as it wrapped up the match 16-14.
GAME NOTES
- Dawn Sullivan is now 57-33 as the Tigers head coach, 166-71 overall.
- The Tigers are 2-4 in five-setters this season, and coach Sullivan is 31-17 all-time in five set matches, including a record of 12-6 at Mizzou.
- Mizzou is now 0-1 in SEC Tournament matches as this was their inaugural appearance.
- The Tigers are 16-3 when they win the first set this year.
- Mizzou is 5-1 in neutral matches this season.
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