University of Missouri
Tennessee
Volleyball Heads into Tennessee with Six-Match Winning Streak
10/29/2025 9:53:00 AM | Volleyball
The Tigers face their first ranked matchup since Sept. 26 (at No. 2 Texas) as they take on No. 16 Tennessee on its home court and follow that with a matchup with Vanderbilt in Nashville.
Game #23 • Friday, Oct. 31 • 5:30 p.m. CT
Mizzou (15-7, 6-4 SEC) vs. No. 16 Tennessee (16-3, 7-2 SEC)
Food City Center • Knoxville, Tenn.
SERIES HISTORY: MIZ leads 12-10 • STREAK: W1
LAST GAME: W, 3-2 vs. Tennessee (Columbia, Mo. • Oct. 13, 2024)
LIVE STREAM: SEC Network+
OPPONENT WEB: utsports.com
Game #24 • Sunday, Nov. 2 • 1 p.m. CT
Mizzou (15-7, 6-4 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (5-14, 1-9 SEC)
Memorial Gymnasium • Nashville, Tenn.
SERIES HISTORY: First Meeting • STREAK: N/A
LAST GAME: First Meeting
LIVE STREAM: SEC Network+
OPPONENT WEB: vucommodores.com
Mizzou (15-7, 6-4 SEC) hits the road for a trip to Tennessee in a Volunteer State doubleheader, where the Tigers will take on No. 16 Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
MU opens the weekend with its first ranked matchup in over a month (Sept. 10; at No. 2 Texas) as it takes on the No. 16th ranked Lady Volunteers at 5:30 p.m. on Halloween night in Knoxville, Tenn. The Tigers will then head to their first-ever matchup against the Commodores at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2 in Nashville at the Memorial Gymnasium.
Both matches will be streamed via SEC Network+.
SERIES HISTORY
- Mizzou leads the all-time series against the Lady Volunteers 12-10.
- The Tigers won their last matchup against Tennessee 3-2 in Columbia, Mo. Overall MU is 4-7 in Knoxville and hasn't won on the Lady Volunteers home court since Nov. 24, 2019.
- This is the first-ever matchup between the Tigers and the Commodores, as the program was revitalized in 2025.
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.
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 164-67 (.710) 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 55-29 (.655) 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 (325) and recorded her 1,500 career kill against SEMO (10/22).
- Alexander earned her 100th career service ace against Oklahoma (10/5).
MAKING AN IMPACT
- The newest Mizzou athletes have already made a major impact as Caylen Alexander leads the team in kills (325), Tyrah Ariail is tied for first on the team in blocks (76) and freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez is second on the team in digs (178).
- Freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez has ten or more digs in nine matches this season and 20 or more in two matches.
- Since Oct. 10 (seven matches), Caylen Alexander has averaged 4.86 kills per set and 5.39 points per set, both stats putting her third in the conference during that span.
FIVE SET STANDARDS
- The Tigers are 2-2 on the season in five set matches but are 12-4 under head coach Dawn Sullivan.
- As a head coach Sullivan is 31-15 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 408 and is first with 4.86 digs per set.
- Redshirt junior setter Marina Crownover is eighth in assists with 9.32 per set.
- Redshirt senior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail is first on the team and is sixth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .363.
- Senior Caylen Alexander is seventh in kills with 4.17 per set and is sixth in the conference with 4.77 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.
MAYA SANDS SHOWCASE
- The two-time defending SEC Libero of the Year continues to impress as she set a new career high for digs with 32 against South Carolina (Oct. 24).
- Sands currently leads the SEC in digs by over 70 as she is ranked 20th in the NCAA for digs per set with 4.86.
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.
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.
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.
