No. 23 Missouri Tigers volleyball hosts No. 5 Stanford Tuesday in ranked showdown
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri returns home ranked No. 23 after early-season road stretch and split.
- Tigers host No. 5 Stanford, aiming for statement win in top-25 volleyball clash.
- Missouri celebrates Hearnes Center legacy amid record attendance and resurgence.
No. 23-ranked Missouri Tigers volleyball volleyball team returns to the rowdy Hearnes Center for the Tigers’ home-opening “Showdown at the Net” matchup with No. 5 Stanford at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Under the tutelage of head coach Dawn Sullivan since 2023, the Tigers (3-1) have seen a resurgence in volleyball. A surprising NCAA tournament run closed the 2024 campaign and generated reasonable hype for the Tigers entering the 2025 season.
The Tigers claimed a 10-2 home record in 2024, while also drawing school-record attendance numbers and a top-20 national attendance rate in each of the last two seasons, showing marked growth after ranking No. 137 in 2022.
On Tuesday night, the university will celebrate “History at Hearnes” — one of Missouri’s most historic athletic facilities. With a long lineage of Missouri athletics, volleyball has claimed the site as its home court since the early 2000s.
The Tigers’ only two home losses of the 2024 season came at the hands of ranked Southeastern Conference opponents Florida and Kentucky.
Mizzou struggled against top-tier competition overall, posting a 2-6 record against top-25 opponents. However, the Tigers managed two top-10 upsets.
Missouri defeated No. 9 Texas on the road and in conference play while pulling off a stunner in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, stealing a win over No. 10 and two-seeded SMU.
MU began the year with a four-game road stretch, participating in the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational, where it defeated FGCU and James Madison. The Tigers followed their season-opening wins with a two-day series at Arkansas State, in which they split matches with the Red Wolves, playing back-to-back five-set matches. Missouri found redemption in the latter match.
Despite the much-needed bounce-back win, Missouri still dropped seven positions in the most recent AVCA college volleyball rankings, now slotting in at the No. 23 position.
The Tigers’ Tuesday evening foe, Stanford (3-2), rose one spot from last week to now rank No. 5 in the nation. The Cardinal is coming off a five-set loss to No. 2 Texas. Stanford’s other loss was 3-0 to No. 1 Nebraska.
For Missouri, senior libero Maya Sands and senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander will be players to watch. Both made the AVCA Player of the Year watchlist.
Alexander currently leads Missouri with 69 total points and 60 digs while unleashing 158 total attacks in 2025. Sands has been a cornerstone, too, totaling a team-best 70 digs. Sands recently spent time with the US Under-23 National Team.
Stanford has its own fair share of standouts, including senior outside hitter Elia Rubin, who has totaled 52 kills, and freshman libero Spencer Etzler, with 70.
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