COLUMBIA, Missouri – The University of Missouri volleyball team will conclude its 2024 preseason with an exhibition match against Omaha at the Hearnes Center on Sunday afternoon. The preseason match is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT.
Admission to Sunday’s exhibition is free for all fans and no ticket is required. Doors open 60 minutes prior to the event.
Fans in attendance will receive posters (while supplies last) and can get autographs from the team after the game.
2024 PREVIEW
The 2024 season is the second for the head coach Daniela Sullivan who led the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2020 after being named SEC Coach of the Year last fall.
Mizzou most recently received votes in the 2024 AVCA/TARAFLEX preseason poll announced Monday (August 19). The Tigers will face eight teams (nine games) ranked in the preseason top 25.
Missouri opened practice for the 2024 season on August 8 following a reporting day that included a presentation of the new locker room, new equipment, a high ropes course and then a team building session.
Mizzou returns a trio of 2023 All-SEC players, including SEC Libero of the Year Mayan Sands.
Sands was the league’s best player with 339 digs and 4.99 digs per set during SEC play, finishing with a career-high 542 (4.71 digs/set). She also ranked ninth in receiving (2.23) in the NCAA Power 4, according to 2023 VolleyMetrics data.
Sands together with right wing Jordan Iliffe also received AVCA Southeast All-Region recognition.
Iliff was one of 18 student-athletes named to the 2024 Preseason Volleyball All-SEC Team as Mizzou was ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll. The St. Louis native led Missouri with 388 kills (3.40 kills per set) during her 2023 junior season and swung at a .236 slugging percentage.
setter Sierra Dudley ranked fifth in SEC play in 2023 with 10.90 assists per set (730 assists) and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. The Spartanburg, South Carolina native was the conference’s top true freshman setter in 2023 with 1,161 total assists.
With the trio of All-SEC players, six of seven starters from 2023 return to Mizzou.
Outside attacker Janet deMarrais was second on offense at Mizzou with 357 kills (3.25 kills/set) and started the last 20 games.
Middle blocker Morgan Isenberg led the Tigers on defense, recording a total of 138 blocks (1.23 blocks/set) in her first season as a full-time starter.
Middle blocker Colleen Finney rounds out the returning Mizzou starters after recording 154 kills (1.38 kills/set) and 68 blocks (0.61 blocks/set) in her first season in the black and gold jersey.
The Tigers’ returnees also include setters Sarah WhiteRight wing Naomi Francoright outside/middle blocker Kimani JohnsonSweeper Kaylen Rush and Libero Tatum Longnecker.
MU also added 11 players (six freshmen, five transfers) to complete the 22-man roster. The 2024 freshmen are Morgan Jones, Tia Phinezy, Vivian Parker, Aspen Maxwell, Grace SweeneyAnd Claire Morrissey who ranked third nationwide in the 2024 recruiting class.
Mizzou also added transfers Michael Vernon (2023 All-Pac-12 outside hitter at Oregon State), Marina Kronenberg (two-time NCAA national champion setter in Texas), Regan Haith (2022 All-Missouri Valley Conference Freshman Team middle blocker at Illinois State), Kiaraliz Perez Catala (2023 Western Athletic Conference Libero of the Year at UTRGV) and Alayna Pearson (Overland Park, Kansas, libero who spent her freshman season at Texas A&M).
OUTLOOK
- Missouri will begin the 2024 season August 30-September 1 at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Nebraska.
- The Tigers will face host Drake, No. 12 Creighton and NC State in the Invitational.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
- For the latest information on Mizzou volleyball, visit MUTigers.com. For the latest updates, follow the Tigers on XInstagram and Facebook.
