The Mizzou volleyball team wrapped up its spring season by hosting the Mizzou Invitational on Saturday. The Tigers competed in three matches against SIUE, Kansas City and Saint Louis. Here’s what I learned in my return to the Hearnes Center after getting a preview of (most of) the 2026 team.
Leading Liberos
For the first time in the Dawn Sullivan era, someone other than Maya Sands will be the primary libero this season. That honor belongs to Evansville transfer Ainoah Cruz. I broke down her contributions with the Purple
Aces when she first transferred in last semester in this piece.
Cruz looked mighty impressive in the Mizzou uniform, controlling serves with precision and laying out on several occasions. Plus, she had several strong passes to set up kills for Tiger outside hitters. While she’s the only transfer on this Missouri squad, you wouldn’t know she was new with how well she fit in with the rest of the team.
This was also a preview for the second season of Zoey Matias-Lopez. She picked up right where she left off in her defensive specialist role. Her serve continued to be special, while reading balls from the other side of the net extremely well.
It appears that defense will continue to be the strength of Sullivan’s team heading into 2026, anchored by the duo listed above.
Scoping out the Setters
With Marina Crownover transferring to Oregon in the offseason, this left a major opening in the starting setter role for the Tigers. Both Nina Mandovic and Sierra Dudley have spent plenty of time on the court in Sullivan’s system, but this gave the Mizzou faithful its latest look at each player.
Mandovic played the vast majority of the game, frequently looking like the best player on the floor. Her touch seemed truly elite when it came to both her serves and passing, putting the Tiger hitters in perfect positions to drive home a kill. Plus, at 6-foot-1, her size at the net was a major asset with several solo blocks in the game against SLU. She even managed to drive home a kill to a thunderous reaction from her team.
Dudley played a relatively minor role, mostly supplemental on the service line. She continues to search for her spot on the team after an extremely strong season back in 2023 before Crownover’s arrival.
As a whole the setter position seems to have a clear vision heading into 2026, anchored by some clear offseason advancement from Mandovic.
HBO: Hitters, Blockers, Oh Yeah!
With the graduation of players like Caylen Alexander and Janet deMarrais and no incoming transfers at the OH position, there were plenty of questions as to what the offense would look like this year.
Saturday’s performance was an encouraging breath of fresh air, with several players appearing to make significant strides since the fall. Paige Felder was the most impressive offensive weapon, leading the team in kills against SLU (by my rough estimate) with a healthy mix of hard-hit balls and a feathery touch. It seems like she is projected to be the Tigers’ kill leader next year if all goes according to plan.
Maca Lobaglio and Grace O’Reilly were the primary rotational players at right side, each having several bright spots during the matches. Kimani Johnson was inconsistent but had several hard-hit kills that showed how much of a momentum-shifter she can be. Claire Morrissey started out rough with a misread in/out call and a service error, before responding late with an ace. Tia Phinezy and freshman Millie Bauer played significant roles in the middle blocker position, each contributing several kills and blocks thanks in part to their steadfast positioning.
As a whole it was an impressive first look at a team that is still missing several of its incoming freshmen, meaning more talent is on the way. With what’s shaping up to be an uber-competitive non-conference slate and the usual grind of the SEC, Mizzou appears poised to head back to the NCAA Tournament.
