COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri libero Maya Sands was named to the 2025 Preseason All-SEC Team, the league announced Tuesday, July 8. Additionally, the Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference after advancing to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
2025 Preseason All-SEC Team
Sands earns the honor for the first time in her career, coming off an AVCA All-America Honorable Mention nod in 2024.
The Rock Falls, Illinois, native led the SEC with 4.53 digs per set and ranked second in the league with 535 total digs (35th in the NCAA) last season.
Sands, a 2024 AVCA Central All-Region selection, eclipsed the double-digit dig mark in all but one contest this season. Her 535 digs last campaign ranked sixth all-time for a single season at Mizzou.
Most recently, the back-to-back SEC Libero of the Year (2023 & 2024) notched double-digit digs in all three of Mizzou's matches at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Sands recorded an NCAA Tournament personal-best 20 digs in the first round against Texas State (Dec. 5). She also had 14 digs and five assists at SMU (Dec. 6) and notched 13 digs against Kentucky in the Sweet 16 on Dec. 12.
She compiled a career-best matching 30 digs twice in 2024, against Mississippi State (Oct. 20) and at Arkansas (Oct. 25).
Sands notched her second career double-double versus MSU (Oct. 20), adding 10 assists to go with her 30 digs.
She also surpassed 1,000 career digs last season (1,489 career digs, 1,077 career digs at Mizzou).
2025 SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Mizzou was selected to finish fourth in the SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 182 points. The Tigers ranked fourth in the conference at the conclusion of last season with an 11-5 conference record, and were 22-9 overall.
Kentucky, the reigning SEC champions, was voted the preseason favorite in the conference with eight of 16 first-place votes and 218 points, followed by Texas (216) and Texas A&M (195) at second and third, respectively.
Florida took fifth (169), while Tennessee (149) was picked for sixth and Oklahoma collected 143 points for seventh. LSU (115), Georgia (98) and Ole Miss (97) rounded out the top 10.
Picked to finish 11th was Arkansas with 80 points, followed by Vanderbilt (77), Auburn (76), South Carolina (42), Mississippi State (38) and Alabama (25).
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