Missouri Tigers volleyball finished its 2025 campaign with a 17-10 overall record and an 8-7 record in conference play, placing them as the sixth seed in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. As it stands, Missouri sits as one of the first four out in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, meaning the team will have to make some noise in a loaded SEC Tournament to secure its third straight postseason berth. Here are two key takeaways from the Tigers’ season, and what will be imperative moving forward as the team reaches for their place in the 2025 bracket.
Senior standouts
Make no mistake, several underclassmen have stepped up to the plate this season, playing in big situations and making big impacts in the process. But all season long, Missouri has leaned on its senior class when it counts, and it will continue to need big performances from veterans as the season comes down to the wire.
It’s hard to mention senior impacts on Missouri without mentioning libero Maya Sands, who won her third straight SEC Libero of the Year award in the 2025 season. Sands led the Tigers and conference with 490 digs, tying the highest dig per set total of her career with 4.71 in her final collegiate season. Sands has been a force for the Tigers both on and off the court, leading the team vocally while anchoring a defense that has faced some of the most vicious hitters in all of college volleyball this season.
On the other side of things is senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander, who headlined the offense for Missouri all season long and improved as the 2025 campaign went on. The Hawaii transfer’s 390 kills led the Tigers in the regular season by a wide margin, and Alexander provided relentless pressure on the net that propelled the team to numerous victories.
Missouri’s other three seniors found themselves right behind Alexander as kill leaders, as middle blocker Tyrah Ariail recorded 245, outside hitter Janet deMarrais recorded 217 and middle blocker Regan Haith finished with 146. Ariail’s 107 blocks and Haith’s 101 blocks also ranked first and second on the team.
All five Missouri seniors have made a big impact this season, and the Tigers will need that same production in the SEC Tournament if the veterans wish to extend their collegiate careers just a few more games. With all five players having prior NCAA Tournament experience, it’ll be up to them to make it back to the big stage.
Hot starts
The Tigers have teetered back and forth throughout the 2025 season, playing close against some of the top teams in the country while also dropping matches to lesser opponents they could’ve beaten. If Missouri wants to make a run in the SEC Tournament and possibly save its chances at an NCAA Tournament berth, the Tigers will need to feed off momentum and start matches off hot.
The Tigers have lost the first set in all but two of their match losses this season, proving the undeniable worth of getting things going early for this team. In Missouri’s loss to Alabama on Nov. 16, the Tigers only led at the five-point mark in one of the four sets.
For a team that has struggled to string together big runs in the middle of sets all season, Missouri must strike first, burying the opposition before they get a chance to get going.
The Tigers have shown that they can keep up with teams in sets that come down to the wire, sporting a 19-14 record in sets that were decided by only two points throughout the season. If they can simply gain an early lead and stay away from playing from behind over the course of sets, that number would only improve and put Missouri in the driver’s seat against its competition.
While easier said than done, if Missouri can focus on securing an early set lead in matches, the Tigers easily have the talent to topple some highly ranked opponents. This team has shown it can play tough against high level competition. Now, it needs to show it can ride the wave to a victory over these exact teams, starting early and keeping momentum.