The No. 23-ranked Missouri Tigers are off to a 3-1 start in the 2025 season after splitting a two-game series with Arkansas State on Friday. Here are three takeaways from the team’s first four games.
Alexander in Action
The story of the offseason for Missouri was the acquisition of University of Hawaii transfer Caylen Alexander. It’s safe to say that the senior has lived up to the hype so far.
Alexander had a storied career in The Aloha State, winning the 2024 Big West Player of the Year and leading all of Division I volleyball with 611 kills, nearly 30 kills ahead of second place. The outside hitter was named an AVCA All-Region and found herself on the AVCA Preseason Player of the Year Watch list this offseason.
Alexander had a lot of buzz heading into her Missouri debut, and she has not disappointed. The senior standout has led the Tigers in kills in all four games thus far., She also finished in the top three on the team in blocks in all games but one. The Georgia native accounted for at least 25% of the team’s total kills in each of the first four games, proving to be an offensive force.
Alexander has proved to be a game changer on both sides of the ball her whole career, and that dominance has translated from the Big West to the Southeastern Conference. Only time will tell how Alexander’s collegiate career will come to a close, but early on, she seems to be honing in on some hardware.
New and Improved
Missouri had its hand forced this offseason, losing 10 players from the 2024 squad that made it all the way to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2017. The Tigers and third-year head coach Dawn Sullivan were forced to look at the transfer portal.
Missouri was able to secure four players in the transfer portal, two of whom have had big impacts thus far: Alexander and redshirt senior Tyrah Ariail, who previously suited up for the University of Southern California. While Alexander’s prowess has already been established, Ariail isn’t too far behind, as the former Trojan has been second in kills for two out of the four games and has led the team in blocks all four games. The senior duo has made an immediate impact on the team, becoming key pieces to the Tigers’ success night in and night out.
The new faces didn’t just come from the transfer portal, however, as six incoming freshmen rounded out Missouri’s roster. Two freshmen, Paige Felder and Zoey Matias-Lopez, made their first career starts against James Madison University. Felder secured the team’s lone ace in her collegiate debut and was tied for first on the team in blocks the next day with four.
Matias-Lopez has maintained a steady presence for the Tigers thus far, mainly in the form of assists and digs. The libero has finished inside the top three for both assists and digs in three out of the first four games, a steady stat line that would fool the blind eye into thinking she was a seasoned veteran.
Despite Missouri’s exciting success from last year, the offseason acquisitions have this year’s squad looking just as good, if not better. While it’s still early, the Tigers find themselves at No. 23 in the AVCA rankings, a spot higher than at any point last year. By the year’s end, it’s possible that Missouri could be higher up.
Clutch Time
Both of Missouri’s games against Arkansas State went the full five sets, with the two sides splitting the two-game series. In the first match, the Tigers had a 7-4 lead in the final set before eventually falling 11-15 to the Red Wolves.
In the next match, the Tigers found themselves down 1-4 in the opening set before crawling back and winning 25-19. The two teams went back and forth in the final set before Missouri secured a 15-12 victory.
Despite the Tigers splitting their series against an unranked Arkansas State team, the squad gained plenty of reps in clutch time scenarios, something that could pay dividends for this new-look team.
Last season, Missouri played 12 games before they saw a match go the full five sets, as they beat Illinois 3-2 on Sept. 20. This high-intensity series against Arkansas State early in the season could prove to be worthy down the road, as it gives the players a chance to get comfortable in close matches, something useful for a team with new faces.
These games coming down to the wire could prove to be useful to the freshmen on the squad, many of whom have never played in such a high-stakes environment. Matias-Lopez rose to the occasion in the second game against Arkansas State, shutting the door on the Red Wolves with a clutch ace to end the final set.
The best teams are the ones that can get it done in crunch time. Being able to put a team away, or rally back against a deficit, is something that can’t be measured on a stat sheet. However, it can change the entire outlook of a team. The most efficient way to improve in those scenarios is to experience them repeatedly until they become second nature.
While some may say it’s discouraging for Missouri to be in such tight games with a lesser Arkansas State, another view could say the more experience the Tigers get in tight games, the better. Seeing how Missouri performs in the clutch over the course of this season will be something to keep an eye on.
Missouri will host a No. 5 ranked Stanford team on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 8:30 p.m., looking to improve to 4-1 on the year.
Edited by Killian Wright | [email protected]
Copy edited by Veronica Butler and Ava Mohror | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]
