The Mizzou volleyball team faces a crucial week ahead. After a loss to Alabama to close the regular season, the Tigers are right on the edge of the NCAA Tournament a little over a week from Selection Sunday.
The only games left before the big reveal comes with the return of the SEC Tournament.
The Tigers enter the conference tournament as the No. 6 seed, earning a first-round bye. They will play on Saturday against the winner of No. 11 LSU and No. 14 Ole Miss. If Mizzou can avoid an upset, that means a rematch against No. 3 Texas in the quarterfinals the next day. Regardless of who they face, the Tigers will face a team for the second time this season, which can lead to wildly different outcomes.
Here’s what you need to know heading into the SEC tournament and what the Tigers need to do ahead of Selection Sunday.
Bracket on the Brain
After a 1-1 weekend including a surprising loss to Alabama, the Tigers dropped to No. 49 and the RPI but that Mississippi State win moved them up one spot to No. 37 in the KPI. While the KPI number is promising, that RPI number is quite concerning; the lowest team in last year’s RPI to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large was Washington at No. 46. This was reflected in the Volleyball Bracketologist prediction, who dropped Mizzou out of its latest poll.
If Mizzou wants to guarantee themselves a spot in the tournament, they will need to win their opening round matchup AND pull off the upset against Texas. But if they only win one, they are at the mercy of the committee. Here’s the rooting guide for (or against, I suppose) many of the other bubble teams:
Xavier beats Villanova
Georgia Tech loses out
Illinois loses out
UTEP wins the Sun Belt: Western Kentucky eliminated early
Rice wins the American: South Florida eliminated early
San Diego wins the West Coast Conference: Pepperdine eliminated early
Northern Iowa wins the Missouri Valley Conference
South Dakota State wins the Summit League
Dayton wins the Atlantic 10
Utah State wins the Mountain West
While this is all unlikely to happen, as many of these results happening (especially in the smaller conferences) maximize the Tigers’ chances at an at-large bid. But lets get to what Mizzou can actually control and what you need to know about some of the teams they may face.
Seeing Double: 1st Round Preview
Mizzou is expected to play LSU in the first round, as the Bayou Bengals are favored in their matchup against Ole Miss on Friday. These two teams met back in October, where Mizzou won 3-1 thanks to an 8-point comeback in the third set.
The two teams are extremely similar, holding almost identical state in their first meeting. LSU held a slight advantage with five more assists and one more kill. One big part of that was outside hitter Jurnee Robinson, who registered 21 kills in the first meeting. Robinson was later honored as a member of the 1st Team All-SEC. If Mizzou faces LSU, they should attempt to keep Robinson under .200 hitting percentage and under 20 kills.
However, it’s quite possible that Mizzou faces Ole Miss if they take down LSU. Mizzou took care of Ole Miss in the regular season, sweeping them in Columbia.
The Tigers held the advantage in nearly every category, except in aces; where Ole Miss held the advantage 7-3. Four of those aces came from outside hitter Shayla Meyer, who added six kills in the match. Meyer has been one of the Rebels’ most important offensive pieces, finishing the season 267 kills and 30 aces; ranking second on the team in both categories. If Mizzou hopes to beat Ole Miss again, they need to limit Meyer’s opportunities both at the net and at the service line.
Regardless of the opponent, Mizzou is making sure they are as sharp as possible.
“I think it’s about us and how are we going to show up,” head coach Dawn Sullivan said. “How are we going to serve and pass every single day to the standard we want…and for me I think it’s about enjoyment. I think it’s about joy, making sure you don’t forget why you play this game.”
Taking down Texas
If Mizzou wins on Saturday, they turn around less than 24 hours for a showdown with No. 3 Texas. The Tigers played the Longhorns on the road during the opening weekend of SEC play. While Mizzou was swept in the match, they kept it close the whole match; including sending the last two sets to extra points.
The Longhorns offense ran laps around the Tigers in the first meeting, winning the kills battle 56-35. Texas was led by Torrey Stafford, who finished with 14 kills in the win. Stafford finished the regular season with 394 kills on her way to a spot on the 1st Team All-SEC. Mizzou needs to limit the Longhorns offense, and that starts with Stafford.
Texas had an extremely successful season, but showed some cracks late in the season with back-to-back losses against Texas A&M and Kentucky. While there’s no ideal time to play a team this talented, Mizzou may catch the Longhorns at the right time.
Player to Watch: Maya Sands
With the most important matches of the season, it seems only fitting to highlight the most important player for Mizzou: Maya Sands. While it’s been an up-and-down season for the Tigers, Sands has been nothing short of phenomenal.
The senior has recorded 490 digs so far, tying a career-best average of 4.71 digs per set. Sands has recorded double-digit digs in each of her last 14 matches; including a new career-high of 32 digs against South Carolina. In addition she added 29 aces, tied for the team lead with Tyrah Ariail. It’s for all these reasons (and many more) that Sands was voted to the All-SEC 2nd Team and her third consecutive SEC Libero of the Year.
“Maya Sands is one of the best in the nation,” Sullivan said. “She is able to do anything she puts her mind to…it’s about how we finish, and can she continue to lead this team and take them one step every single day.”
Sands and the rest of the Mizzou Tigers ready to open the SEC Tournament at (roughly) 6 p.m. on Saturday. The match will be available to watch on SEC Network+ on the ESPN app.
