Mizzou needs a head volleyball coach. Here are 10 possible candidates MU could consider

Missouri is in the market for a new head volleyball coach, and there's much to consider.

Where does Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois go? Does she hire an offensive mind, or go a more defensive route? How much of an emphasis is recruiting in this hire? Those questions might not all get answered with one candidate.

Here are a few names to consider as potential candidates as Missouri aims to find its next head volleyball coach, split into three categories.

Candidates at top-ranked programs

These candidates are assistants at some of the best teams in their respective conferences and the nation. All are competing in the NCAA Tournament, which might complicate matters, but that's worth waiting for with coaches that bring a long line of success with them.

Felicia Turner – Georgia Associate Head Coach

Turner has been a mainstay on the Bulldogs' staff for six years, first joining as an assistant coach before getting promoted to associate head coach after three seasons. Georgia saw statistical improvements with Turner on staff, as UGA's offensive production rose half a point in 2021 from its 2020 totals to 12.44 kills per set. In 2022, Georgia was third in the SEC with a 23-7 record. If on-court production is what MU is looking for, Turner has the acumen for making it happen.

Brittany Dildine – Wisconsin Associate Head Coach

As far as assistants go, Dildine is one of the most experienced and has the hardware to prove it. She was the 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association's National Assistant Coach of the Year. Dildine was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2022 after helping the Badgers win an NCAA Championship in 2021. In 2022, Wisconsin hasn't slowed down as it's currently ranked No. 2 overall in the nation.

Anders Nelson – Kentucky Associate Head Coach

While Wisconsin won the 2021 national title, MU could look at a fellow SEC program that's done the same. Kentucky won the 2020 title with Nelson on its bench, who brings an acumen that focuses on defense and scouting, while also working with the Wildcats' middle blockers. Missouri averaged 2.1 blocks per set last year, just below its opponent's average of 2.2 blocks per set. Nelson would help the middle find its ground.

Dan Meske – Lousiville Associate Head Coach

Meske is an associate for the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals, and he has a background in blocking defense. There were only two teams in the SEC that blocked worse than MU did in 2022. As an assistant for two stellar programs, Meske helped Lousiville to a 32-1 record in 2021. He's also an asset to the Cardinals' recruiting effort, which would be a boon for MU.

Candidates with head coaching experience

These candidates have been with their teams for a while. Prying them away with the allure of coaching in the SEC would be difficult. However, they've all established themselves at their current schools because of their head coaching success. That would be a boon for Missouri.

Lyndsey Oates – Northern Colorado

Oates would need convincing to leave the program she's built, but a Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2019 brings a pedigree of sustained success. The biggest question is how she would fare recruiting at the SEC level.

Kelli Miller Phillips – Ball State head coach

Considered a rising star in the volleyball coaching world, Phillips took over the Ball State program in 2016. By 2018, Ball State won 22 games. Phillips was the 2021 Mid-American Conference and AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year before winning 24 games in 2022 and leading Ball State to an NCAA Tournament berth.

Ryan Theis – Marquette head coach

Theis is in his ninth year of coaching Marquette and had a .736 winning percentage coming into the 2022 season. He led the Golden Eagles to a No. 16 rank in the ACVA coaches poll going into his 11th NCAA Tournament appearance at Marquette. Theis has coached his players to seven different player of the year awards between his time at Marquette and Ohio.

Candidates with connections

Here are coaches that either have a connection to the person making the ultimate decision on the Tigers' next head coach, Desiree Reed-Francois, or have a connection to the Show-Me State.

Dawn Sullivan – UNLV head coach

UNLV has a coach that has won 109 games and earned two NCAA Tournament berths since 2018 in Dawn Sullivan. Reed-Francois knows her well because she hired Sullivan at UNLV back in 2018. When Sullivan took over the Rebels’ program in 2018, she inherited a team that went 8-23 in 2017. In her first year, Sullivan led UNLV to a 22-12 season. She’s adept at quick turnarounds.

Jen Malcom – Iowa State assistant

The Cyclones are a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament this year; Malcom knows success. She’s also had two stints Reed-Francois can get behind. Malcom spent time as a coach at both Virginia Tech and Tennessee, two athletic departments that Reed-Francois worked at. Malcom and Reed-Francois overlapped at VT from May 2014, when Reed-Francois joined the Hokies’ athletic department, until May 2015, when Malcom departed for Tennessee.

Donika Sutton – Tennessee State coach

Sutton has been a head coach for six years at Tennessee State, but she’s the only one that brings 1. Prior head coaching experience, 2. A connection to Missouri. Sutton is a Hayti, Missouri, native and played at Southwest Missouri State University-West Plains for one season. Sutton coached at South Carolina State before coaching at TSU, and a job at MU would be her first high-major job. Still, she led TSU to an Ohio Valley Conference tournament title for the first time since 2007 and a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 10 possible candidates for Mizzou volleyball coaching vacancy