University of Missouri
Texas A&M
No. 21 Volleyball Opens SEC Play With Two-Ranked Matchups
9/23/2025 3:03:00 PM | Volleyball
The Tigers take on No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 2 Texas in the conference opening weekend
Game #12 • Wednesday, Sept. 24 • 6 p.m. CT
No. 22 Mizzou (8-3, 0-0 SEC) at No. 13 Texas A&M (8-2, 0-0 SEC)
Reed Arena • College Station, Texas
SERIES HISTORY: A&M leads 21-34 • STREAK: L1
LAST GAME: L, 3-2 at Texas A&M (College Station, Texas • Sept. 29, 2024)
LIVE STREAM: ESPN2
OPPONENT WEB: 12thman.com
Game #13 • Friday, Sept. 26 • 8 p.m. CT
No. 22 Mizzou (8-3, 0-0 SEC) at No. 2 Texas (8-0, 0-0 SEC)
Gregory Gym • Austin, Texas
SERIES HISTORY: TEX leads 22-11 • STREAK: W1
LAST GAME: W, 3-2 at Texas (Austin, Texas • Nov. 1, 2024)
LIVE STREAM: SEC+
OPPONENT WEB: texaslonghorns.com
No. 21-ranked Mizzou (8-3) begins SEC play with two-ranked opponents in a two-part road trip that includes No. 13 Texas A&M (8-2) and No. 2 Texas (8-0).
The Tigers open with the Aggies at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 23 in College Station, Texas and then head to Austin to take on the Longhorns at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26.
MU will face Texas A&M with the game being broadcast by ESPN2 and the match against Texas will be streamed via SEC+.
SERIES HISTORY
- Texas A&M leads the all-time series 21-34.
- Mizzou is 4-21 in College Station, Texas, but has two wins in its last three visits to Reed Arena.
- The Tigers first took on the Aggies on Oct. 15, 1981, and they became annual opponents starting in 1996.
- Texas leads the all-time series 11-22.
- MU is 4-13 in Austin, Texas, but won the most recent matchup 3-2 on Nov. 1, 2024.
- The Tigers first took on the Longhorns on Oct. 12, 1996, as they both were part of the newly established Big 12 conference.
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
MILESTONES
- Libero Maya Sands recorded her 1,500 career dig against James Madison (Aug. 29).
- 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)
- The senior leads the team in the category with 12 this season.
- Head coach Dawn Sullivan recorded her 150th career win against James Madison (Aug. 29)
- Sullivan is currently 157-63 (.714) 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 48-25 (.657) overall.
- Redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail recently recorded her 300th career block against Arkansas State (9/5/25).
- Ariail was one block short of tying her career high as she posted eight blocks in the five set victory.
- The redshirt senior recorded 283 in her four-year career with the USC Trojans.
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 (124), Tyrah Ariail is second on the team in blocks (39) and freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez is third on the team in digs (82).
- Freshman Zoey Matias-Lopez has ten or more digs in four games this season.
FIVE SET STANDARDS
- The Tigers are 1-1 on the season in five set matches but are 11-3 under head coach Dawn Sullivan.
- As a head coach Sullivan is 30-14 all-time in five set matches.
- In 2023 the Tigers went a perfect 5-0 in five-set matches.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A TIGER
- Redshirt junior Marina Crownover spent this past summer as an intern working for NASA.
- 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, Caylin 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 six. Crownover has 17 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)
- She currently leads the conference for both digs (201) and digs per set with 4.90 (33rd in NCAA).
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.
