Nebraska volleyball head coach Dani Busboom Kelly didn’t let a humid and wet court at Wrigley Field stop her from facing an old Big 12 foe again.
After a disappointing — yet neccesary — cancelation of Nebraska’s match against the Tigers in the friendly confines at the beginning of the month, the No. 1 Cornhuskers found a way to reschedule its first showdown against Missouri since 2023. Fresh off a 3-0 week that saw NU take down two more ranked foes in No. 20 Creighton and No. 25 North Carolina, the Huskers return to John Cook Arena for one last non-conference battle before beginning the grind of Big Ten play.
Here’s all you need to know for Wednesday’s match between Nebraska and Missouri.
How to Follow Along
- Matchup: No. 1 Nebraska (10-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Missouri (7-4, 0-0 SEC)
- When: Wednesday, Sept. 23
- Where: John Cook Arena, Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln, NE
- Time: 6 p.m. CDT
- Watch: B1G Network
- Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
- How to Sync Husker Radio with TV Broadcast
Missouri Scout
Head Coach
- Dawn Sullivan | Entering 4th Season at Missouri; 8th as Head Coach
- 64-37 (.634) at Mizzou; 173-75 (.698) as Head Coach
- 4x NCAA Tournament Apps. & 1x NVIC title
- 2x Mountain West Conference titles
- 2x MW Coach OTY, 1x SEC Coach OTY, 1x AVCA Central Region Coach OTY
- Previous Head Coach at UNLV
- Previous assistant at Iowa State & Illinois State
2025 Finish
- Did not qualify for the postseason.
2025 Record & Awards
- Record: 17-11 (8-7 SEC, T-6th)
- AVCA All-Americans: 1x Third Team, 1x Honorable Mention
- Conference Awards: Libero of the Year
- All-SEC: 2x Second Team
All-Time Series
- Nebraska leads 74-3-1
- Dec. 2, 2023, last matchup in NCAA Second Round; 3-0 NU
Key Returners
- Paige Felder | OH | Soph. | Played part-time in 2025 as a freshman, but has stepped up to deliver a team-leading 123.5 points — including 102 kills — and 12 aces as a sophomore.
- Maca Lobaglio | RS | Soph. | Another underclassman that’s developed over the offseason, the right-side attacker from Argentina has posted 51.5 points on 42 kills and 9.5 blocks.
- Nina Mandovic | S | Jr. | The Serbian distributor steps into a starting role with the Tigers in 2026, but she’s missed nearly half their matches despite averaging over seven assists per set.
- Grace O’Reilly | RS | Sr. | The former Long Beach State transfer has only started in five of her 10 appearances this season, but she’s been productive with 2.80 points per set for second-highest on Mizzou.
Impact Transfers/Newcomers
- Lauren Larkin | MB | Jr. | The Utah State transfer didn’t appear in the team’s first two matches, but she’s become the team’s leading middle blocker with 2.37 points per set on a .443 hitting percentage and 23 blocks.
- Ceylin Kuyan | OH | Fr. | True freshman from Turkey that was a two-time best outside hitter and one-time best opposite with the Turkey U19 Girls’ National Team.
- Eva Smith | MB | Fr. | The North Carolina native has emerged as one of the team’s best weapons with 87 points (third on team) on a .337 hitting percentage while leading the Tigers with 45 blocks and 1.13 per set.
- Ainoah Cruz | L | Sr. | Transferred to Mizzou after three seasons at Evansville where she collected 1,384 career digs, 337 assists and 60 aces; takes over the starting libero spot for MU and has tallied 198 digs and 4.71 per set.
Key Departures
- Caylen Alexander | OH | Graduated | Spent her last college season in Columbus and earned All-SEC Second Team honors after racking up a team-high 422 kills (4.22 K/S) while also adding 193 digs (1.93 D/S) and 25 aces.
- Tyrah Ariail | MB | Graduated | Another one-year transfer, Ariail was second on the team with 353.5 points and 258 kills on a .364 hitting percentage. Plus, she anchored the Tiger’s blocking effort with 112 and 1.08 per set.
- Maya Sands | L | Graduated | Turned pro after her final college season in which she delivered 507 digs and 4.65 per set to earn AVCA All-America Third Team honors and winning the 2025 SEC Libero of the Year award.
- Janet DeMarrais | OH | Graduated | Team captain and second outside hitter in 2025 for Mizzou. She finished her college career with 926 kills and 127 blocks across102 matches in four years.
- Regan Haith | MB | Graduated | The Lincoln native and Pius X graduated posted 151 kills and totaled 103 blocks (1.07 B/S) in her final college season.
- Marina Crownover | S | Transfer | Tallied more than 2,100 career assists and 24 double-doubles in her two seasons at Missouri before transferring to Oregon over the offseason.
Outlook…