RYZER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- Coach at Wright State
Allie Matters was named the eighth head volleyball coach in Illinois State history on March 8, 2022.
Matters joins the Redbird volleyball program after four seasons as the head coach at Wright State University where she led the Raiders to two NCAA Tournament appearances, two Horizon League regular season titles and a Horizon League Tournament title.
Illinois State volleyball has announced the hiring of Courtney Wagner as an Illinois State Assistant Coach on July 24, 2023.
Wagner, a two-time All-American at Wisconsin-Whitewater as a middle hitter and native of DeKalb, Ill., spent the 2022 season as an assistant at Wisconsin-Stout.
Prior to her time at UW-Stout, Wagner was an assistant at Normal's Heartland CC in 2021 as the Hawks advanced to Nationals in the program's second season of existence.
Wagner began her coaching career with a three-year stint at Western Illinois while completing a Master's degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration.
Wagner graduated from UW-Whitewater with a degree in Health, Human Performance and Recreation and has also coached club at Illini Elite in Bloomington, Ill. and Kokoro in Eau Claire, Wis.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
Matt DePauw joined the Redbird Volleyball staff in April 2022 after spending the previous four seasons as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Central Michigan. He will work primarily with the Illinois State setters and offensive systems in addition to overseeing all recruiting efforts for the Redbirds.
Job Titles:
- Director of Volleyball Operations
Steve Wrzala officially joined the Redbird Volleyball staff as the Director of Volleyball Operations on June 1, 2022 after previously serving as an Academic Coordinator in the Illinois State Athletics Department. No stranger to Illinois State, the two-time Illinois State alum also spent time working in operations at the Weibring Golf Club and with the Redbird Football program and served as a Development and Sales graduate assistant for Redbird Athletics.
In his role with Redbird Volleyball Wrzala will be responsible for coordinating team travel and meals, handling administrative duties and serving as the liaison for academics, equipment and marketing.
Siefken has also served an internship with Western Illinois' marketing and external relations staff, where she helped promote athletics events through various channels, including social media. She has also interned with the Illinois High School Association, where she proposed and evaluated revenue-generating methods.
Siefken was a two-sport athlete at her alma mater of Monmouth College, starring for the school's basketball and softball teams. Siefken earned Academic All-Midwest Conference honors in both sports, earned NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete honors as a member of the softball team, and was named to the dean's list all four years. She also served as an assistant to the volleyball coach at Monmouth, helping with team operations during the offseason.