This past Sunday, the NCAA revealed the 64-team bracket for the women’s volleyball tournament. But for the first time in three years under head coach Dawn Sullivan, Mizzou was missing from the field. The Bracket 🏐🏆➡️ https://t.co/Z6BLEJQg5k🎟️ https://t.co/5u0ANMOGel#NCAAWVBpic.twitter.com/jK3WdiYecP— NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) November 30, 2025Entering the day, the Tigers were firmly on the bubble. Both Volleyball Bracketology and ESPN had the team in the First Four Out. However, the committee did not include Mizzou as one of its teams in the First 4 Out, as they were not viewed as a tournament team this time around. A big part of that came down to the fact the Tigers were ranked No. 53 in the RPI. For reference, the lowest ranked RPI team to receive an at-large bid was North Carolina at 49.Now with no National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) — it was cancelled — it appears that Mizzou’s season has officially come to a close. With that said, here is what likely caused this team to miss the tournament, along what comes next.Late Season LossesWhile the committee looks at a team’s entire resume, they heavily focus on how a team finishes the season. This was a struggle for Mizzou, as the Tigers got hot in October before suffering some uncharacteristic losses down the stretch. During November the team lost to Vanderbilt, Alabama and Ole Miss, who are all ranked as No. 75 or lower in the RPI. These losses against inferior opponents were especially frustrating given that the Tigers beat Tennessee and Mississippi State, who were both ranked higher in the SEC; the Lady Vols were ranked in the top 25 of the RPI. Like I mentioned earlier, the Tigers avoided such losses during October when they rattled off seven consecutive wins, including beating Ole Miss in the regular season before losing the rematch in the team’s first game of the conference tournament.Here’s specifically what Mizzou struggled with on the court compared to previous seasons.Offensive ObstaclesOn paper, this year’s Mizzou team looked practically the same (if not better) than last year’s squad which made the Round of 16. However, the one major area that the Tigers succeeded last year where this team struggled was the offense.Last season the Tigers racked up 1,704 kills with a .286 hitting percentage. This year those numbers dropped to 1,445 and .242, respectively.The issue wasn’t in the star production, as Caylen Alexander had an almost identical production to team-leader Mychael Vernon from last year, with over four kills per set. The discrepancy came in the depth scoring.Last season, Jordan Iliff was second on the team, averaging 3.81 kills per set with a hitting percentage of .282. This season, Janet deMarrais couldn’t match that level of production, averaging only 2.78 per set and a hitting percentage of .167. In addition, deMarrais missed 25 sets this season, whether it was due to injury or Sullivan benching her due to poor performance.The rest of the roster was too young or too inexperienced to step up in her place, so the Tigers became one-dimensional with Alexander as the only weapon in some matches. This predictability became easy to defend as the Tigers failed to find other options.What’s Next?This Mizzou team carried a large amount of experience, with five of the six primary players as the five graduating seniors from the program. The only returning starter is Marina Crownover, who has been the Tigers’ starting setter the past two seasons. I expect her to reprise that role heading into her senior year. However, she will likely split that time between Sierra Dudley and Nina Mandovic, who have each played at setter for Mizzou in bursts.The biggest loss on paper is Maya Sands, who exits Mizzou as a three-time SEC Libero of the Year. However, Sullivan has been prepping her replacement with Zoey Matias-Lopez. In her freshman season, ZML played alongside Sands as a defensive specialist, starting in 14 matches and racking up 264 digs. This initial experience gives ZML the inside track and the chance to become of the most elite liberos in both the SEC and the entire nation.Mizzou loses outside hitters Caylen Alexander and Janet deMarrais, who were the two main cornerstones of the offense, seen as the top options on the outside when they were healthy. However, these minor injuries allowed for backups to see action in key scenarios and get high-level experience. With these two players graduating, some younger outside hitters like Paige Felder, Claire Morrissey and Asia Harvey are the prime suspects to step up.As for the middle blockers, as Tyrah Ariail and Regan Haith have concluded their time as collegiate volleyball players. These two were rock solid and played practically the whole season for the Tigers. Potential replacements Tia Phinezy and Trinity Luckett both saw the court in small capacities, showing off their potential heading into next season. Sullivan could also look towards her incoming freshman class, with new signees Eva Smith and Amelia Bauer looking to play at an SEC level in year one.The final position to talk about is the right side, where there are no graduating players. While Mizzou didn’t always play with a right side, freshman Maca Lobaglio took on that role when available with nine starts this past season. If Lobaglio is not an option, there are several key players who could step into the role including Kimani Johnson, Grace O’Reilly or incoming freshmen Piper Batie and Lydia Stahley.With all that said, this roster is not set in stone. There is plenty of wiggle room in the transfer portal, and in the modern age I would be surprised if everyone stays on the Tigers roster. If Sullivan does look to grow her team in the portal, I’d look at adding an experienced, ready-to-start outside hitter or middle blocker who can bring that prior experience and success to a team that loses a large amount of production. But with Sullivan’s previous track record and that new shiny extension she signed yesterday, I would expect the Tigers back in the NCAA Tournament during the 2026 season.