Missouri State University announced Monday that it will consolidate the coaching staffs of its indoor and beach volleyball programs as part of the athletic department's cost-saving measures for the 2020-21 academic year.
As reported by the Springfield News-Leader, new MSU indoor volleyball coach Steven McRoberts will be the "director of volleyball" and will administratively oversee both programs. Russ Friedland will take over head coaching duties for the beach volleyball team — as well as be the associate head coach of the indoor team. Friedland was the head indoor and beach coach at Louisiana Monroe during the 2018-19 school year. A.J. Lux will be an assistant for both programs.
Former MSU beach head coach Terri Del Conte recently accepted the same position at Alabama-Birmingham.
Missouri State's athletics budget is particularly tight, given the $650,000 shortfall brought on by the cancellation of the 2019-20 NCAA basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, MSU is removing $650,000 in projected revenue from the budget in the event the Bears' football game against Oklahoma, scheduled for Sept. 5, is canceled.
