Maya Sands at Auburn 10/12
3 Maya Sands_Cropped.jpg

Maya Sands Season 2024

#3
PosL
Ht5-7
YearJunior
HometownRock Falls, Ill.
Previous SchoolUNLV

Opendorse profile

CAREER HONORS

  • 2025 AVCA All-American Third Team
  • 2025 AVCA Central All-Region
  • 2025 SEC Libero of the Year
  • 2025 All-SEC Second Team
  • 2025 Leatherneck Classic MVP
  • 2025 Florida Gulf Coast Invitational MVP
  • Three-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week (10/16/23, 11/13/23 & 9/22/25)
  • 2024 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American
  • 2024 AVCA Central All-Region 
  • 2024 SEC Libero of the Year
  • 2024 All-SEC First Team
  • 2024 Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team (Sept. 1)
  • 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
  • 2023 AVCA Southeast All-Region Team
  • 2023 SEC Libero of the Year
  • 2023 All-SEC Team
  • 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team
  • 2024 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2023 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll
  • 2022 Mountain West Conference Champions
  • Three-time Mountain West Player of the Week (Freshman - 9/19/22 & 10/17/22, Defensive - 9/19/22)

CAREER STATS

  • Totaled 2000 digs with 129.5 points over 121 matches spanning four collegiate seasons
  • With MU, totaled 1588 digs over three seasons, finishing third in program history
  • Ended her career with the most digs per set in program history with 4.64
  • Became the first and only Mizzou player to win the SEC Libero of the Year award three consecutive times (2023, 2024, 2025).

SENIOR (2025)

  • Played and started in all 28 matches and 109 sets for the Tigers
  • Led the Tigers’ back row with 507 digs (4.65 digs/set) — marking her third straight season averaging over 4.5 digs per set
  • Set a new career high with 32 digs against South Carolina (10/24)
  • Totaled 108 assists in 2025 (.99 assists/set)
  • Recorded 10 or more digs in 26 matches, and 20 or more in 10 matches
  • Tallied 28 or more digs in three matches – 28 against Valparaiso (9/19), 28 digs at Texas A&M (9/24) and 32 against South Carolina (10/24).
  • Posted a season-high four service aces against LSU (10/19) and added 16 digs to her stat sheet
  • Finished the regular season with 70 more digs than anyone else in the SEC
  • Collected 17 digs in the second round of the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss (11/22)

JUNIOR (2024)

  • Played and started in all 31 matches and 118 sets for the Tigers
  • Totaled 535 digs in the 2024 season (4.53 digs/set)
  • Tied her career high with 111 assists in 2024 (0.94 assists/set)
  • Tied her career high of 30 digs in back-to-back matches against Mississippi State (10/20) and Arkansas (10/25)
  • Held a 27 match double-digit dig streak in the 2024 campaign
  • Compiled a season-high of 10 assists against Mississippi State (10/20)
  • Recorded at least 21 digs in three straight matches against Florida (11/15, 23), Ole Miss (11/22, 24), and Mississippi State (11/24, 21)
  • Compiled 20 digs in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament against Texas State (12/05)
  • Recorded a season-high four service aces and tallied 14 digs in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament against SMU (12/06)
  • Totaled 13 digs in the NCAA Sweet 16 match against Kentucky (12/12)

SOPHOMORE (2023)

  • Started in all 31 matches and competed in all 115 sets this season for the Tigers
  • Totaled a career-high 542 digs (4.71 digs/set) and 106 assists (0.92 assists/set) during the season
  • Compiled a career-high 34 service aces (0.30 aces/set) in 2023
  • Led Mizzou in SEC play with 339 digs (4.99 digs/set)
  • Held a double-digit dig streak for the entirety of regular season play
  • Posted three aces in her debut for the Tigers against Illinois State (8/25)
  • Notched 24 digs against Colgate (8/27)
  • Registered 20-plus digs in back-to-back matches against Central Arkansas (8/26, 22) and Colgate (8/27, 24)
  • Continued her double-digit dig streak in the Tiger Invitational against Northern Kentucky (9/1, 15), South Dakota (9/2, 13) and Louisville (9/3, 15)
  • Stretched her double-digit digs streak to eight matches with over 10 digs against Buffalo (9/8, 10), Bellarmine (9/8, 15) and Xavier (9/9, 20)
  • Notched 25 digs against Eastern Illinois (9/15) to wrap the two-match series
  • Opened SEC play with double-digit digs in matches against Tennessee (9/20, 10) and South Carolina (9/24, 24)
  • Posted 14 digs and four assists at LSU (9/29)
  • Totaled 21 digs against Texas A&M (10/1)
  • Set a season-high with nine assists against Kentucky (10/6)
  • Tallied 24 digs against Arkansas (10/8)
  • Recorded a career-high 30 digs against Ole Miss (10/15)
  • Compiled double-digit digs in three straight matches with 20+ digs against Tennessee (10/25, 20), Ole Miss (10/29, 24) and Mississippi State (11/3, 20)
  • Notched six assists against Georgia (11/5)
  • Registered 23 digs back-to-back against Texas A&M (11/10) and Auburn (11/12)
  • Continued her double-digit dig streak to end the regular season against Florida (11/17, 13), Kentucky (11/19, 18) and Georgia (11/25, 13)
  • Posted nine digs and three assists in the First and Second Rounds of the 2023 NCAA Tournament against Delaware (12/1) and Nebraska (12/2)

PRIOR TO MIZZOU (UNLV / 2022)

  • Played freshman season at UNLV under instruction of Head Coach Dawn Sullivan
  • Helped the Rebels capture the Mountain West Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament
  • Played in all 31 matches and 112 total sets
  • Ranked third in the conference with 3.68 digs per set (412 digs)
  • Registered double-digit digs on 25 occasions 
  • Posted a career-high 22 digs against Utah State (10/13)
  • Second on the team with 111 assists (0.99 assists/set) and paced the Rebels with 30 aces (0.27 aces/set)
  • Posted career-best four aces in four matches 
  • Compiled 10 assists and 21 digs for her first career double-double against New Mexico (10/6)
  • Named Mountain West Player of the Week three times in 2022 including Freshman of the Week twice (9/19 and 10/17) and Defensive Player of the Week once (9/19)
  • Tabbed both Mountain West Freshman and Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19

HIGH SCHOOL (ROCK FALLS)

  • Four-year varsity letter winner in volleyball at Rock Falls High School in Rock Falls, Illinois
  • Three-time all-conference selection 
  • Earned all-state honorable mention in her sophomore campaign
  • Led the Rockets to three conference titles, two regional championships and a sectional championship
  • During the 2021 season, helped Rock Falls HS brake its school record for most wins in a season (37-2)
  • Was an AAU Nationals All-American in the 18s Open Division while competing for Sports Performance Volleyball Club

PERSONAL

  • Majoring in Parks, Recreation, Sport & Tourism at Mizzou
_0016_3_Maya_Sands

Senior
2025

L
5-7 / -
2023_Maya_Sands_1_cropped

Sophomore
2023

L
5-7 / -