Sands and Alexander Named to AVCA Player of the Year Watch List Presented by Nike Volleyball
7/24/2025 11:18:00 AM | Volleyball
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri volleyball saw two named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Player of the Year Watch List presented by Nike Volleyball, announced on Thursday, July 24. Senior libero Maya Sands and senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander will represent Mizzou on the prestigious list.
Sands is coming off back-to-back Southeastern Conference Libero of the Year performances and was recently selected to the 2025 Preseason All-SEC Team and invited to join the U23 National Team by USA Volleyball. Additionally, she was a 2024 AVCA All-Region selection. The senior tied her career-best 30 digs twice in 2024, against Mississippi State (Oct. 20) and at Arkansas (Oct. 25), and notched double-digit digs in all three of Mizzou's NCAA Tournament matches in 2024. She also surpassed 1,000 career digs last season (1,489 career digs, 1,077 career digs at Mizzou), and her 535 digs last campaign ranked sixth all-time for a single season at Mizzou.
Signing with the Tigers in January, Alexander joins Missouri after three seasons at Hawai'i. The 2024 Big West Player of the Year, she led the NCAA Division I with 611 total kills and ranked fifth in the nation with 5.09 kills per set to earn AVCA All-America Honorable Mention. Additionally, the outside hitter ranked second nationally with 676.5 total points and ranked seventh with 5.64 points per set. She totaled 20 or more kills in 15 matches to go with 15 double-doubles (kills-digs) and recorded a career-high 38 kills in a five-set win over Texas State on Sept. 14, 2024. She also posted 36 kills at UC Riverside on Nov. 7, 2024.
The Preseason Watch List was compiled by the AVCA Division I Women's Volleyball Awards Committee. They will also be the group working on the additional phases of the Player of the Year process, which include:
- Midseason additions to the list [October]
- Naming the semifinalists [November]
- Revealing the finalists [likely Dec. 15]
- The announcement of the Player of the Year in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday Dec. 19.
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