No. 2 Texas Longhorns volleyball hosts the No. 21 Missouri Tigers at Greg on Friday for the Longhorns’ eighth top-25 showdown of the 2025 season. Since the first matchup in 1996 in a newly-established Big 12, Texas has a 22-11 series lead, but in the most recent matchup in 2024, the Tigers beat the Longhorns in five sets in Austin, the only win for Missouri in the last 10 matches against Texas.
Missouri is 3-3 on the road this season with losses to Arkansas State, then-No. 15 TCU, and No. 13 Texas
A&M, a 3-1 winner over the Tigers on Wednesday in College Station.
Senior outside hitter Caylen Alexander leads Missouri with 138 kills after transferring from Hawai’i, where she earned AVCA All-American honors after pacing the NCAA in kills with 611, averaging 5.09 kills per set. Redshirt junior setter Marina Crownover lends a hand with 401 assists, 17 service aces, 106 digs, and 13 blocks — she returns to her hometown to face her former team after playing for Texas in 2022 and 2023. The Tiger senior libero Maya Sands holds the back line down with 220 digs with 16 service aces. Senior middle blocker Regan Haith holds the net with 51 blocks and 70 kills alongside redshirt senior middle blocker Tyrah Ariail who has 95 kills, 14 aces, and 39 blocks so far in the 2025 season. This will be the Tigers second ranked match this week as they are looking to repeat their 5 set win of 2024 against the Longhorns at the 40 Acres.
The Longhorns have faced seven ranked teams in non-conference play and in the process have landed 10 weekly awards after just four weeks of competition for four Longhorns: Senior libero Emma Halter earning Player & Defensive Player alongside junior outside hitter Torrey Stafford collecting Player & Offensive Player. True freshmen outside hitter Cari Spears has gathered the Freshman of the Week and Player of the Week multiple times in the 2025 season with junior setter Ella Swindle receiving Setter of the Week.
Spears alone has recorded 25.4 percent of the team’s kills alongside two fellow true freshmen, outside hitter Abbey Vander Wal and middle blocker Taylor Harvey, who have collectively totaled 50.6 percent of the Texas offense and 46 of the 69.5 blocks. Sophomore standouts for the Longhorns include libero Rella Binney who aided with a season high of 36 assists against Vanderbilt in his first start, along with middle blockers Ayden Ames, the team leader with 26 blocks, and Nya Bunton, who has 24 blocks.
The Longhorns look to extend their undefeated streak with redemption against the No. 21 Tigers.
First serve is at 8 p.m. Central broadcasting on the SEC Network+.
