Mizzou volleyball senior libero Maya Sands (Rock Falls, Ill./Rock Falls HS) earned Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 15-21, the conference announced Monday, Sept. 22. The senior shares the award for the week with Kate Mansfield from Auburn.
Sands led the Tigers defensively with 60 digs (6.00 digs per set) as MU swept through the Leatherneck Classic with three-straight wins against Valparaiso, Chicago State and Western Illinois.
The Rock Falls, Illinois native was one dig shy of tying her career high, registering 29 digs in the lone four-set match of the weekend against Valparaiso. Sands once again crossed the 20-dig threshold against the home team, Western Illinois.
Sands now has 10 or more digs in 10 of the 11 games this season.
The senior ranks first in the SEC for both digs (201) and digs per set with 4.90 (33rd in the NCAA).
This SEC weekly honor is Sands' third at Mizzou (first since 2023) and is the sixth conference weekly honor in her career (three Mountain West Player of the Week awards).
MU opens conference play with two-ranked matchups this week as it faces No. 13 Texas A&M at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in College Station, Texas, followed by a match against No. 2 Texas at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, in Austin, Texas.
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