Freshmen Cuyan, Smith shine in Mizzou Volleyball's first action of 2026-27 season

The Tigers  got off to a hot start against the Leathernecks, going on a 9-0 run and taking the opening set 25-9.

Mizzou carried that momentum into the second set, winning it 25-11 and ending the set on a 7-0 run. The Tigers then won the third set 25-14 to complete the 3-0 sweep of WIU.

Kuyan was the star of the first match. The freshman from Istanbul, Turkey, hit .800 on her attacks in the first set and quickly became the favorite target. The Leathernecks had no answer for Kuyan, who got her first 10-kill match at the collegiate level by the second set of her first match. She killed 14 balls on 19 total attempts for a .632 hit percentage and added five digs and two blocks.

After the nightcap, MU coach Dawn Sullivan talked about Kuyan's performance in the first match.

"I thought she did a phenomenal job earlier this morning in that match," Sullivan said.

Felder recorded a career-high 13 kills in 23 total attempts. The sophomore didn't record a single attacking error and finished with a .565 hitting percentage in the first match. She also recorded five service aces, seven digs and a block.

Four other Tigers also picked up multiple kills, with Lobaglio recording six kills to go along with five blocks, and Phinezy getting four kills while also blocking three. Mandovic and Smith both recorded three kills, with Smith adding an extra four blocks to her total. In all, Mizzou racked up 44 kills and six attacking errors on 75 total attempts.

Mizzou's play was just as strong in the backcourt, as Ainoah Cruz shined. Cruz, a transfer from Evansville, recorded 19 digs in her first match in a Mizzou uniform. Cruz was everywhere on the court, laying out for balls, even to just get one hand on it and keep points alive. It wasn't just her efforts on the back end, though; everyone got in on the mix.

The Tigers were on the hustle for every loose ball. In the first set, Kuyan pancaked a ball, then Felder won a joust at the net and later won the point. Then, to end the first set, WIU thought it had won the point off a kill, but Mizzou kept the ball up and later won the point to end the set. That hustle helped MU hold Western Illinois to a .100 hitting percentage with 14 kills on 90 total attempts.

In its first regular-season action of 2026, Mizzou volleyball looked good; the hustle was there, the attacks were landing and the team played with energy.

Smith, Lobaglio lead defensive second match

Mizzou volleyball wrapped up back-to-back sweeps to start the year in two very different matches.

Mizzou dominated its 11 a.m. match, but the nightcap felt much different, even with the same lineup on the court. Though the Tigers picked up another sweep on the day — this time over Towson — their match was much closer and more defensive than the early game.

The Tigers started the first set with a quick 5-0 lead as freshman Eva Smith became an early star inside Hearnes Center on Friday night. Smith picked up two blocks out of the gate.

Sullivan was impressed by Smith's ability to take over Friday night's game.

"Not a ton of attempts, but dang, right?" Sullivan said in regards to Smith's .750 hit percentage Friday night. "As a freshman to come in, just take over with the way she does, especially with her serving."

Though Mizzou never ran away with the set, it was still able to keep the lead, winning 25-19.

In the second set, Missouri pulled out late to win the set 25-17. It went on an 8-3 run to finish the set and take a 2-0 lead into the third set.

The third set, however, did not come easy for Missouri. The Tigers started the set in a 3-0 hole after a couple of attacking errors, but quickly came back into it, briefly taking a 4-3 lead before the two teams would go back and forth.

Towson made a surge midway through the set, winning five out of six points to jump back out in front 13-10.

But in a match where the Tigers were mostly chasing tail, they caught up thanks to a 5-0 run to grab a two-point lead. Towson tied things back up at 19 before Mizzou ended the match on 6-2 run to win the third set 25-21.

Felder picked up another 13-kill outing, this time on 31 attempts, and tied the career high she had set earlier in the day.

Lobaglio, who had a quieter first match, picked up 10 kills on 23 total attempts. Lobaglio was one kill short of matching her career high that she sent back on Oct. 31, 2025, against Tennessee.

With a pair of Mizzou players in double digit kills, it'd almost be safe to assume that the offense was the strong point of the match. It wasn't. The Tigers only hit .299 as a team and had 36 kills to Towson's 38. The defense is what really dominated for Mizzou in Friday night's match.

Smith and Lobaglio both notched five blocks on the evening. Lobaglio tied her career high that she set on Nov. 16, 2025, against Alabama. Mizzou as a team finished with 11 blocks and held Towson to a .190 hit percentage.

Mandovic, who racked up a total of eight kills and 22 digs as a setter, was there in the moment just trying to pick up the win. In Thursday's final practice before the season started, Mandovic brought a lot of energy and it carried into Friday.

"I feel like we prepare each week for each game and like as the week goes, we get more and more energy," Mandovic said.

Mizzou takes on Sarah Sullivan, Dawn Sullivan's daughter, and Idaho at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Hearnes Center.