University of Missouri
16-9,7-6SEC
Kentucky
19-2,12-0SEC
Volleyball Falls Short Against No. 2 Kentucky on Senior Day
11/6/2025 9:58:00 PM | Volleyball
The Tigers gave the Wildcats their first set loss since Oct. 24, as Mizzou is now 7-6 in SEC play
Mizzou volleyball (16-9, 7-6 SEC) fell to No. 2 Kentucky (19-2, 12-0) in four sets (25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20) on Senior Day on Thursday, Nov. 6 at Hearnes Center.
The Tigers are now 1-5 against ranked teams this season as the Wildcats improve to 12-0 in conference play.
KEY PLAYERS
- Senior Caylen Alexander led the charge with 22 kills, while senior Janet deMarrais and redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail followed with 13 and 10, respectively.
- Senior Maya Sands tallied 18 digs, while freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez collected eight. Sands also recorded three service aces, four assists and one kill.
- Redshirt junior Marina Crownover was one dig shy of a double-double as she posted 42 assists and nine digs.
- Senior Regan Haith collected two blocks and had seven kills.
FIRST SET (19-25, Kentucky leads 1-0)
To open the match, both teams were competing as a kill by Alexander gave the Tigers an early 4-2 advantage. However, Kentucky rallied back before the first media timeout, as it led 15-11 after a 5-1 scoring run. The Wildcats would hold this lead for the remainder of the set.
The Tigers would call their first timeout with Kentucky up 21-17, after tying its largest lead of the set. In the end, the WIldcats would come out hot with a 25-19 set victory, as they hit .400 for the set compared to Mizzou's .081.
SECOND SET (25-18, Tied at 1-1)
The second game once again started with Kentucky and Missouri neck-and-neck before the Tigers broke away with a 4-0 scoring run to make it 13-9. After the first three points of that run, the Wildcats would take their first of two timeouts for the set.
Kentucky would take another timeout as Mizzou once again went up by four at 17-13 after two-straight kills from Alexander and Ariail. The Tigers would continue to extend the lead, as a kill from Alexander put them up five at 21-16.
The Wildcats would fight back and force a Mizzou timeout with the Tigers winning 21-18, but MU would wrap up the set with four straight points to make it 25-18.
THIRD SET (23-25, Kentucky Leads 2-1)
The third set began just like the second, with each team taking turns catching up to the other. However, Kentucky was the first to break away from this routine, going up three points – 7-4. The Tigers were able to fight back and take the lead on a Sands ace – 8-7 – before the back-and-forth affair continued. At the media timeout, Kentucky held a slight advantage, 15-13. At the break, the Wildcats had the higher hit percentage at .348 compared to Mizzou's .294.
Kentucky would end up going up by five out of the break at 21-16, but the Tigers would fight back to knot it up at 22 after an ace from Matias-Lopez. However, the Wildcats would ultimately wrap up the set at 25-23.
FOURTH SET (20-25, Kentucky wins 3-1)
Missouri started this set off strong with a four-point advantage over the Wildcats, forcing them into a timeout. Out of the break, Kentucky would come back and fight to take the lead, eventually going up 14-13.
The lead would continue to be disputed, as Kentucky would earn the lead at 20-19 and never relinquish it. The Wildcats would extend that lead all the way up to five, and a kill on the UK side would wrap up the match 3-1.
GAME NOTES
- Dawn Sullivan is now 56-31 as the Tigers head coach, 165-69 overall.
- The Tigers are now 1-7 when their opponent wins the first set.
- Kentucky now leads the all-time series 18-5. The Wildcats have a 15-match winning streak against the Tigers. Mizzou is 2-11 at home against UK, with the last win coming on Oct. 23, 2016.
- The Tigers are 1-5 against ranked opponents this season.
UP NEXT
- Mizzou heads to Mississippi and Alabama, as it takes on two teams in the final road trip of the regular season. The Tigers will face Mississippi State on Friday, Nov. 14 and Alabama on Sunday, Nov. 16 as both matches will have serious postseason implications.
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.
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