Trio of Tiger volleyball seniors awarded All-Region recognition
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Three players that helped Mizzou volleyball to its third-straight season with 17 or more wins, earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region honors, on Tuesday.
Libero Maya Sands and outside hitter Caylen Alexander were each tabbed with All-Central Region recognition, while middle blocker Tyrah Ariail was named to the All-Central Region Honorable Mention team.
It is is third-straight time that Sands has earned an All-Region honor, while it's the second for Alexander and first for Ariail. In total, Tiger volleyball has had 44 players appear on the All-Region list in program history.
Sands spent three years in Columbia and, in that time, took a clean sweep of the Libero of the Year Award in each of those season. She is the only athlete in Mizzou history to claim that award.
The Illinois native was the best libero in the Southeastern Conference in 2025, ranking No. 1 in the conference slate with 274 digs (4.72 digs per set). She also tallied the highest number of digs in SEC play for a single game, setting her new career high of 32 against South Carolina in October.
She ended the season recording a total of 494 digs during the regular-season.
Alexander spent one season with Mizzou, after transferring from Hawaii, but she made it a memorable one.
The outside hitter led the attack for the Tigers this season, with a team-best 422 kills (4.22 kills per set), ranking fourth in points per set (5.16) in SEC play. Alexander also came in fourth on the team in digs, with 193. Additionally, she was second on her team in double-doubles, with six on the season.
Ariail is earning her first piece of recognition since she was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2021.
In 27 matches, the Texas native led Mizzou with 112 blocks (1.1 per set) and also ranked No. 8 in the Southeastern Conference for hitting percentage with a .364 clip. She tallied eight clocks in a game twice this season, against both Wyoming and Arkansas State.
Her final stat line gave her the second-most kills on the team with 258 (2.48 kills per set) and 71 digs (.68 digs per set).
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