Mizzou extends volleyball coach Dawn Sullivan’s contract
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou volleyball coach Dawn Sullivan is sticking around Columbia through the 2029 season.
MU Athletics announced the contract extension on Monday, after Coach Sullivan led the Tigers to two NCAA Tournament appearances in just her first three seasons with the Tigers.
“The University of Missouri is a special place, and I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to lead this program,” Sullivan said in a press release. “In the past three seasons, we’ve built a strong foundation. I’m fired up to continue pushing this program to the next level together.”
Since being hired in December of 2022, Sullivan has brought Mizzou back into national contention. The program has gone to two NCAA Tournaments and made a run into the Round of 16 under her leadership, as Mizzou is 57-33 in three years.
It was clear in her first season that the dynamics of the program were going to change. Coming off of a nine-win campaign from the year before, Sullivan led the Tigers to 18 wins and an NCAA berth in her first season. Thanks to that effort, she earned the SEC Coach of the Year Award, which was just the third in program history and the first since legendary head coach Wayne Kreklow won in 2016.
Sullivan followed that start to her Tiger tenure up with another big year in 2024, when she was named AVCA Coach of the Year and put the program in the Sweet 16 for just the fifth time in school history.
In 2025, Mizzou ended up missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Sullivan's leadership, but still managed to rack up 17 wins on the year.
“Coach Sullivan has demonstrated that she is the right leader for our volleyball program,” Mizzou Athletic Director Laird Veatch said in a press release. "Under her direction, the trajectory of this program continues to point upward. We believe the foundation she’s established will position Mizzou Volleyball to compete for championships in the years ahead."
In three seasons, five of Sullivan's players have earned eight All-SEC honors, including senior Maya Sands, who is a three-time SEC Libero of the Year. She's also coached three All-Americans and has helped her players earn AVCA Southeast All-Region honors six times.
