After a lengthy road trip including a pair of losses to open conference play, Mizzou volleyball is excited to be back home. The Tigers face off against Arkansas on Friday then match up against Oklahoma
on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know heading into the two matches this weekend.
Healing at Hearnes
The Hearnes Center has been extremely favorable to Mizzou under head coach Dawn Sullivan. Through the first two years under Sullivan’s tenure, the Tigers racked up a 21-6 record at home. That absence has been felt by fans and players alike, as Mizzou has only played one of its first 13 games at home. That one match in Columbia was a four-set loss to top-10 Stanford.
“Hearnes is special,” Sullivan said. “We’re fired up to get back, to feel these fans and feel the energy.”
After an 0-2 start to SEC play, the Tigers will need all the help they can from the home crowd. While Sullivan downplays the emphasis on wins in favor of playing well, it’s an undeniable fact that Mizzou needs victories if they hope to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“I really look at the development of our team, right and where we’re at,” Sullivan said. “I think we played some really tough competition our first week. I’m really excited to see what comes out at home. Playing Arkansas and Oklahoma, both really strong teams. Every team this conference is strong. And so for me, it’s looking for how are we developing, how we growing as a team, and how are we competing.”
With a conference as strong as the SEC, that makes every win more valuable and every loss less damaging. Here’s a specific look at both Arkansas and Oklahoma ahead of this weekend.
Rivalries Renewed
This week is extra special for the Tigers as they face off against their two biggest geographical and historical rivals in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Both these teams were viewed as middle of the pack when the preseason SEC rankings were released. Thus far both teams sit at 1-1 in conference play.
Arkansas is coming off a pair of home matches with a 3-2 win against Ole Miss to open SEC play before falling to LSU 3-1. The Razorbacks struggled through non-conference play, losing to mid-major opponents like Arkansas State, Denver and being swept by Cal Poly (yikes).
However there is still plenty of talent on this roster that can give Mizzou some trouble. Setter Kiki Remensperger has been a key part facilitating the offense, ranking second in the conference at 532 assists thus far. Remensperger can distribute the ball to her attackers, but will need her hitters to step up if they hope to knock off a ranked Mizzou team.
Oklahoma faced the same two teams as the Razorbacks, but flipped the results with a 3-0 win against LSU and a 3-2 loss against Ole Miss. The Sooners had better luck in non-conference play, but still lost to mid-majors Tulsa and Central Arkansas. However the team got a big win in the SEC/ACC Challenge with a five-set victory over Florida State.
Outside hitter Emoni Bush leads the offense with 154 kills on an efficient .334 hitting percentage. This is Bush’s first year in the SEC after transferring from Washington, where she a member of the 2024 All-Big Ten Second Team. She is coming off an 11-kill outing in the loss to Ole Miss, struggling to find her groove early in SEC play with 16 kills to 7 errors and a .191 hitting percentage. However, Mizzou should avoid giving her too many chances to find said rhythm.
While Mizzou will enter both games as the clear favorite, it’s important that the Tigers not take either of these teams lightly.
Player to Watch: Maca Lobaglio
One Tiger who played a bigger role this past weekend than most predicted was Maca Lobaglio, who was the latest player to get the start on that right side. She played in every set this weekend, finishing with six kills and a total of 11 points. There is still room to improve for Maca, as she finished the weekend with five errors and an attacking percentage under .100. Sullivan spoke highly of her after the trip to Texas and the role she played there.
“One thing that Maca is doing really well is her block,” Sullivan said. “She’s able to block and slow down set up sides for us, and that that’s been a little bit different…she comes to the gym every single day and works really, really hard.”
The depth on this team is undeniable, but this Tiger team has struggled to find that top end talent that they can go to down the stretch; specifically on that right side. Hopefully Lobaglio can grow into that role as she sees more action on the court the rest of the year.
Mizzou plays at the Hearnes Center against Arkansas at 7 p.m. Friday. That game will be available to watch on SEC Network+ on the ESPN app.
