Volleyball Opens Campaign with 2023 Mizzou Classic

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri volleyball team will host the Mizzou Classic this weekend to commence its 2023 season. Mizzou will take on Illinois State in its home opener Friday. First service is set for 6 p.m., CT at the Hearnes Center. The Tigers will also face Central Arkansas (Saturday at 7 p.m., CT) and Colgate (Sunday at 12 p.m., CT) over the three-day Mizzou Classic.

All three matches will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ with Nate Gatter and former Missouri Volleyball player Riley Rohler on the call.

$3 All Weekend Passes are currently on sale online for the three-day Mizzou Classic. Select Mizzou Classic – ALL MATCH PASS to purchase. 

PROMOTIONS
• Fans in attendance for Friday’s Home Opener will receive Mizzou Volleyball Souvenir Cups and Bumper Stickers, while supplies last.

• Students in attendance Friday will receive pizza, while supplies last.

• Fans in attendance Saturday night, will receive Mizzou Wall Flags, while supplies last.

• Saturday is also Columbia Public Schools Night.

• Fans can grab post-match autographs from the team following all three matches.

SERIES HISTORY
• Illinois State leads the all-time series with Mizzou, 6-1.

•The two sides most recently met in 2021, with the Redbirds edging the Tigers, 3-1, in Normal, Illinois, on Sept. 18, 2021.

• Mizzou has a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series with Central Arkansas with the Tigers earning wins in 2010 and 2011 (Columbia, Mo.).

• Missouri also is 1-0 against Colgate, last meeting the Raiders in 2013 (Sept. 7, 3-0 Win, New Haven, Conn.).

ILLINOIS STATE CONNECTION
• Head coach Dawn Sullivan began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Illinois State in 2002.

• She helped the Redbirds boost their win total from 14 to 19 to 22 before leaving for Iowa State.

• Illinois State is Sullivan’s second former school that Mizzou will face in 2023 as the Tigers hosted Iowa State in exhibition play on Aug. 19.

• Mizzou Director of Volleyball Operations Emily (Siefken) Garrett previously had the same role at Illinois State. Garrett graduated from Illinois State in 2018 with a master’s in sport management.

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Head coach Dawn Sullivan enters her first season at the helm of the program in 2023.

• Sullivan amassed a 109-38 (.741) mark over five seasons at UNLV, leading the Rebels to five-straight postseason appearances and a pair of Mountain West Championships.

• Sullivan has added seven transfers and four freshmen since her arrival in Mid-Missouri this past December.
• The Tigers return juniors Jordan Iliff, Lauren Forbes, Morgan Isenberg and sophomores Madilyn Sell and Janet deMarrais from the 2022 team.
• Iliff, a right side hitter from St. Louis, Missouri, native, was named to the 2023 USA Volleyball Women’s Collegiate National Team in June. The junior was third on Mizzou offensively in 2022 with 227 kills (2.39 kills per set).

• Missouri finished the 2022 campaign with a 9-19 record, placing 13th in the SEC with a 2-16 mark.

NEW FACES ON THE BENCH
• The 2023 team features a multitude of new staff members in addition to head coach Dawn Sullivan.

• Cullen Irons who coached with Sullivan at UNLV was added as an assistant coach in January.

•  Wendel Camargo and Arielle Wilson will serve as Sullivan’s Recruiting Coordinators. Wilson, a four-time NCAA Champion and four-time Big Ten Champion at Penn State, is also the Defensive Coordinator.

• Technical Coordinator Jhenna Gabriel competed for Sullivan at UNLV in 2022, helping the Rebels secure the Mountain West Regular-Season Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Gabriel also earned All-American honors at Texas before her graduate transfer season at UNLV.

NEWCOMERS
• The 2023 team features 11 newcomers with seven transfers and four freshmen.
• Libero Maya Sands was Dawn Sullivan’s first addition in January, transferring to Mizzou from UNLV.
• Other transfers include right side hitter Naomi Franco, setter Luisa Melloni, setter Sarah White, right side hitter/middle hitter Kimani Johnson, outside hitter Dilara Gedikoglu and middle blocker Colleen Finney.

• Sullivan also signed four freshmen in setter/libero Tatum Longnecker, outside hitter/right side hitter Chapel Dobbs, Columbia libero Kaylen Rush and setter Sierra Dudley.

NATIONAL TV COVERAGE
• A total of five Missouri Volleyball matches will air on national TV in 2023 over ESPNU and SEC Network.
• Mizzou will face Tennessee on ESPNU on Sept. 20 along with four matches on SEC Network.
• SEC Network matches include Texas A&M (Oct. 1), Alabama (Oct. 11), Auburn (Oct. 20) and Tennessee (Oct. 25).

• Besides the five linear broadcasts, Mizzou’s home matches, SEC matchups and select non-conference matches will be streamed on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.

PRESEASON POLL
• Missouri was selected to finish the 2023 season 12th in the SEC.

• Kentucky earned 10 first-place votes and was tabbed the preseason favorite.

LOOKING AHEAD
• Following the Mizzou Classic, the Tigers will stay home for their second-straight tournament.

• Missouri will welcome Northern Kentucky, South Dakota and Louisville to Columbia for the three-day tournament Sept. 1-3.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For all the latest information on Mizzou Volleyball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Single-Match and Season Tickets for Mizzou Volleyball are currently on sale now at mutigers.com/feature/VBTix.