Missouri volleyball kicked off their 2024 season beginning practice on Aug. 8. 

This season the Tigers will be facing eight teams all ranked in the preseason Top 25. The 22 athletes on this season’s roster have been preparing for their first match against Drake at the Bluejay Invitational that took place this past weekend.

 The Tigers were ranked sixth in the SEC preseason poll, putting them higher than Texas A&M and right behind Tennessee –  teams who both made the NCAA Tournament last year. This is a drastic improvement from last season, when they were predicted to finish second to last in the conference. 

The Tigers held their annual Black and Gold scrimmage on Aug 18. for the first public view of the team. Some highlights from the scrimmage included Colleen Finney’s offensive playing and Reagan Haith’s blocking abilities. 

Returning to the team is Dawn Sullivan in her second year as coach. She led the team to the NCAA Second Round while helping them achieve All-SEC honors in 2023 and All-SEC Coach of the Year. Since beginning her position, Sullivan has surpassed the winning totals from the past two seasons.

Wendel Camargo, the 2023 Recruiting Coordinator, was promoted to Associate Head Coach for the 2024 season. The staff also includes Assistant Coach Cullen Irons and Defensive and Recruiting Coordinator Arielle Wilson who also played a part in guiding the team to All-SEC honors in 2023.

11 returning players  will return to  the team, including six starters from the 2023 season and three All-SEC players.  

Among the returning players is Jordan Iliff, one of the 18 players on the 2024 Preseason All-SEC Team and the first Tiger this year to do so . This will be Iliff’s last season with Missouri, and her ferocity on the court demonstrates she will be going out strong. 

Sullivan’s squad includes six freshmen and five transfers, bringing in a variety of talent to the team. Among these 11 players is Kiaraliz Perez Catala. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley transfer is one of the five on the team and was the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Libero of the Year. 

One of the new six freshmen is outside hitter Claire Morrissey, ranked third nationally out of the 2024 recruiting class. 

This preseason the team has set a positive tone in their teamwork and allegiance. Sullivan’s lineup has shown to be effective and will return almost all of the starters from the NCAA team last year. 

This preseason, the Tigers have shown they are ready for a comeback, as their offense has improved immensely with the addition of Oregon State transfer Mychael Vernon. 

The Tigers opened their regular season facing Drake, Creighton University and NC State from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1 at the Bluejay Invitational. 

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com

Copyedited by Natalie Kientzy 

Copyedited by Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com