Despite losing in the regional semifinal to the Kentucky Wildcats, Missouri volleyball had another successful season in the second year of Dawn Sullivan’s coaching tenure. Here is what fans can learn from the 2024 Missouri volleyball season.

The program’s progress

Missouri volleyball was in a very bad state after the 2022 season, only winning 15 matches in the 2021 and 2022 seasons combined. The program that needed to be revived experienced success at a quicker pace than anyone would’ve expected.

After an appearance in the NCAA tournament in the 2023 season, it was going to take a historic season to improve on the year prior. The Tigers were up to the challenge, improving its win total from 18 to 22 while also advancing to the Sweet 16, a round farther in the NCAA tournament than the 2023 season. 

The rapid progress the program is experiencing is a testament to the program that head coach Sullivan and her staff are building. It will be intriguing to see if the Tigers can continue to improve and make it even farther in the 2025 season. 

Seniors shined

A large part of the team’s success was the seniors who were impressive players on the court and leaders off the court.

The first senior that should be mentioned is right-side hitter Jordan Iliff. A four-year player at Missouri, Iliff was a two-time All-SEC player and racked up 1237 kills during her career with the Tigers, good enough for top-10 all-time in Missouri volleyball history. 

Outside hitter Mychael Vernon and middle blocker Colleen Finney are other seniors who made a large impact. A transfer from Oregon State, Vernon was also on the 2024 All-SEC team and accumulated 504 kills in the season, complementing Iliff well. Finney was also effective, totaling 136 block assists in her two seasons at Missouri.

The future

On a team that graduated seven seniors, the largest roster hole is in the group of hitters. It seems that junior Janet deMarrais and freshman Claire Morrissey are suitable to step up into those roles, but it’s possible Sullivan will look into the transfer portal.

Many returners will be very impactful and productive for the Tigers next season. Two-time SEC libero of the year Maya Sands and second-team SEC setter Marina Crownover will be very important players for the 2025 Missouri volleyball squad. There should also be a pretty easy passing of the torch in the middle blocker position with junior Regan Haith taking Finney’s spot. 

The Tigers will look to build on another successful season and continue to prove the doubters wrong. 

Edited by Michael Stamps | mstamps@themaneater.com

Copyedited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com