Volleyball Takes on SEMO In Midweek Matchup

Game #20 • Wednesday, Oct. 22 • 6 p.m. CT
Mizzou (10-7, 2-4 SEC) vs. SEMO (12-9, 4-4 OVC)
Houck Field House • Cape Girardeau, Mo.
SERIES HISTORY: MIZ leads 12-3 • STREAK: W6
LAST GAME: W, 3-0 vs. SEMO (Columbia, Mo. • Oct. 9, 2024)
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
OPPONENT WEB: semoredhawks.com

Mizzou (12-7, 4-4 SEC) volleyball takes a break from its SEC homestand with a midweek match against in-state opponent SEMO in a nonconference matchup.

The Tigers will take on the Redhawks starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. at the Houck Field House

This midweek matchup will be streamed live via ESPN+.

SERIES HISTORY

Mizzou leads the all-time series 12-3.
The Tigers are 5-1 against the Redhawks in Cape Girardeau and currently have a six-match winning streak overall.
MU first took on SEMO on Oct. 19, 1977, and this will be just the second matchup this decade, as the two teams resumed the series last year (Oct. 9, 2024) after an 11-year hiatus

L.F.G.

This season the motto of the team is L.F.G., which stands for Love. Family. Grit.
The slogan is a big part of the team culture as they use it as their main source of pride. It has two meanings: one is the classic LFG motto which means to fire yourself up and the other is the three core values that the team focuses on.

OWN THE STATE

Mizzou has played against 18 teams in the state of Missouri and has an all-time record of 86-39-2 against these teams.
The Tigers' second best in-state record all-time is against SEMO, while their best record is against Kansas City (32-5).

PRESEASON HONORS

Mizzou posted two players on the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch List with senior transfer outside hitter Caylen Alexander and senior libero Maya Sands.
Alexander joined the Tigers in 2025 after transferring from Hawai'i, where she was named an AVCA All-American after leading the NCAA in kills with 611, averaging 5.09 kills per set.
Sands has headlined Mizzou's defense for the past two years, as she heads into her senior season as the two-time reigning SEC Libero of the Year and AVCA All-American in 2024.

MILESTONE MANIA

Libero Maya Sands recorded her 1,500-career dig against James Madison (Aug. 29). She moved into 5th all-time against Florida and has 1,791 for her career.
The now-senior recorded 535 digs during her junior year, following her 2023 campaign that saw her post 542 digs. Sands began her career with UNLV, where she compiled 412 digs in her freshman season before transferring to Mizzou.
Sands recorded her 100th career service ace against Rhode Island (Sept. 11).
Head coach Dawn Sullivan recorded her 150th career win against James Madison (Aug. 29)
Sullivan is currently 161-67 (.706) in her career after recording a record of 109-38 (.741) in her five years with UNLV. With the Tigers, the third-year coach is 52-29 (.642) overall.
Redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail recently recorded her 300th career block against Arkansas State (9/5/25).
The redshirt senior recorded 283 in her four-year career with the USC Trojans.
Senior Caylen Alexander leads the Tigers in kills (264) and is 11 kills away from 1,500 for her career.
Alexander earned her 100th career service ace against Oklahoma (10/5).

SEC PRESEASON

Mizzou was picked to finish fourth in the 2025 SEC Preseason Poll with 182 points.
Kentucky, the defending conference champion, was picked to repeat in the SEC after earning 218 points.
Senior Maya Sands was selected as the lone player from Mizzou on the Preseason All-SEC Team.

MAKING AN IMPACT

The newest Mizzou athletes have already made a major impact as Caylen Alexander leads the team in kills (264), Tyrah Ariail is second on the team in blocks (73) and freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez is tied for second on the team in digs (157).
Freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez has ten or more digs in eight matches this season.
Over the past four games, Alexander is averaging 5.00 kills per set and is third in the SEC during that span.

FIVE SET STANDARDS

The Tigers are 1-2 on the season in five set matches but are 11-4 under head coach Dawn Sullivan.
As a head coach Sullivan is 30-15 all-time in five set matches.
In 2023 the Tigers went a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches.

SEC SHOWCASE

Senior libero Maya Sands currently leads the SEC in digs with 334 and is first with 4.70 digs per set (27th in the NCAA).
Sands is also seventh in service aces per set with .35.
Redshirt junior setter Marina Crownover is tenth in assists with 9.25 per set.
Redshirt senior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail is first on the team and is fifth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .382.
Senior Caylen Alexander is ninth in kills with 4.06 per set and is sixth in the conference with 4.74 points per set.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A TIGER

Redshirt junior Marina Crownover spent some time over at NASA last spring shadowing various departments.
The setter is majoring in Physics at Mizzou and has a goal of becoming a pilot and flying jets such as F-22s.

CAYLEN ALEXANDER: AN UNDERDOG STORY

Last season, Caylen Alexander led the NCAA in kills for Hawai'i (611).
However, the story isn't about her success as much as it is her journey to college, as she earned only two scholarships coming out of high school (Hawai'i and Chicago).

SETTING THE STANDARD

Marina Crownover against TCU recorded 54 assists, and 21 digs - a new career high.
Crownover, with this stat line, became the first Tiger since Lei Wang to post a 20-20 match with 20+ assists and 20+ digs (Sept. 17, 2008).
The redshirt junior leads the team in double-doubles with eight. Crownover has 19 during her time at Mizzou, as she had 11 in 2024.

CONFERENCE ON NOTICE

Senior Libero Maya Sands earned the Tigers their first SEC Player of the Week Award. Sands was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23.
The senior recorded 60 digs in 10 sets (6.00 digs per set) and was one dig shy of her career high with 29 against Valparaiso (Sept. 19).
Sands has now earned six conference player of the week honors (three SEC; three Mountain West).

ROAD MAP

The Tigers spent the first half of season on the road, as 11 of their 12 nonconference matchups were on the road or held at a neutral site. They will finish the nonconference schedule overall playing 12 of the 13 games on the road or at a neutral site.
Mizzou is 5-0 in neutral matches this season.

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.

Schedule

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Players Mentioned

Caylen Alexander

Tyrah Ariail

Marina Crownover

Zoey Matias-Lopez

Maya Sands

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University of Missouri Athletics

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at SEMO on Oct. 22, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus South Carolina on Oct. 24, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Georgia on Oct. 26, 2025 at 2 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Tennessee on Oct. 31, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Vanderbilt on Nov. 2, 2025 at 1 p.m.