Mizzou volleyball adds Evansville senior transfer Ainoah Cruz (Arecibo, Puerto Rico) to its 2026 roster, head coach Dawn Sullivan announced on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Cruz, a 5-3 libero, will head to the Tigers after spending the past three seasons at Evansville. During the 2025 season, she was named to the All-Missouri Valley Second Team after leading the league and finishing eighth in the country with 5.16 digs per set.
"I am fired up that Ainoah is a Mizzou Tiger," Sullivan said. "She brings an elite first contact that keeps us in system, sees the game at a high level, and makes plays that win points. Even more special is who she is as a teammate, in how she cares deeply about everyone around her."
The Arecibo, Puerto Rico native, was one of three liberos named to the All-MVC team, as she was the lone representative from her squad on the list. During her junior year, she posted 15 matches with 20 or more digs and racked up a career-high 547 digs in 28 matches.
Cruz was recognized as the MVC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season, as she had a season-high 31 digs in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne. Over that weekend, she also earned a spot on the Butler Big Dawg Kickoff All-Tournament Team after recording 5.86 digs per set in the three matches played. She nearly recorded her third career double-double against the Mastodons (Sept. 30) as she paired nine assists with her season-high dig tally.
In 2024, Cruz set career highs in digs and assists against Indiana State (Nov. 20, 2024), recording her second double-double of the season with 36 digs and 12 assists in four sets.
Over her three-year career, Cruz has earned 1384 digs (4.68 digs/set), 337 assists (1.14 assists/set) and 60 service aces (.20 SA/set). She was also named to the MVC All-Freshman team back in 2023.
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