East Peoria, Ill. - The Illinois Central College volleyball team enters the 2026 season with a veteran roster, a challenging schedule, and its sights set on returning to the NJCAA National Tournament.
Head coach Tracy Heffren begins her eighth season at the helm for the Cougars and has maintained a high-level of play in East Peoria during her tenure. In her first seven seasons, Heffren, an ICC alum, has guided the Cougars to an impressive five NJCAA National Tournament appearances. She will be looking for trip #6 in November.
ICC is ranked #18 in the pre-season NJCAA DII volleyball rankings and is coming off a 24-15 campaign in the fall of 2025. The Cougars will lean heavily on a talented group of sophomores who are determined to improve on last year's showing.
SEVEN SOPHS BRING VETERAN LEADERSHIP
Sophomores Jessi Rokey (Eureka HS), Ellie Dallas (Mahomet-Seymour HS), Whitney Rumbold (Tremont HS), and Sadie Siwicke (Dunlap HS) all saw extensive playing time in their freshman campaign and will use their experience to lead the way. Rokey (.275 hitting percentage and 75 total blocks) and Dallas (626 assists) were key offensive cogs last season and will look to connect for more attacks for the Cougars. Dallas was also steady defensively with 274 digs.
Rumbold had solid stats (592 digs, 62 service aces) and Siwicke (368 digs) also made a significiant contribution. Both will look to expand their roles this fall, as Rumbold has moved to outside hitter.
Fellow sophomores Kailey Ciesielski (Metamora HS), Karis Wolfe (Eureka HS), and Harper Francis (Princeville HS) have also have valuable experience and will help develop chemistry early to handle the rigors of a strong schedule.
FRESHMEN LOOKING TO MAKE IMPACT
Freshmen setter Celia Cross (Hartsburg-Emden HS) and right side Haley Ashley (Washington HS) have also impressed in the first weeks of practice.
"We have a solid group of players up and down the lineup so practices have been very competitive, which is what we need," Heffren said. "Our sophomores learned a lot from last year and understand the need to be ready to play big every night. We're eager to get back on the court."
RANKED TEAMS DOT THE SCHEDULE
ICC won't have to wait long to find out where it stands, as Heffren has once again put together a schedule filled with Top 20 teams, including #1 Heartland, #4 Kansas City Kansas, #7 Parkland, #9 Johnson County, #14 Sauk Valley, #15 Kirkwood, #15 Des Moines Area, #19 Neosho---who all appeared in the pre-season poll---along with DI Indian Hills.
The squad will be battle-tested by playing in several Friday-Saturday tournaments/nvitationals throughout the season, making stops at Rockford, Kirkwood, Waubonsee, DMACC, and St. Louis, while hosting two Triangulars in Ramsey Gym.
One of the highlights of the schedule will be a trip south to Alabama over Fall Break to compete in the Wallace State Invite, giving ICC another opportunity to face quality competition outside the Midwest.
"The Alabama trip will give us the chance to see different teams than we do here in the Midwest and also help us bond as a team," Heffren said.
RIVALRY GAMES
Mixed in with the assorted tournaments will be important Region 24 matchups, including contests against rivals Parkland (September 30 at ICC) and at Heartland (October 2). Those matches will help determine where the Cougars stand in one of the nation's most competitive NJCAA volleyball regions and determine seeding for the all-important post-season district tournaments.
With seven sophomores providing experience, a deep 15-player roster, and a demanding schedule ahead, the Cougars have plenty of reasons for optimism heading into 2026. The first regular season contest is Friday, August 21 at the Opening Weekend Tournament in Rockford where ICC will face Moraine Valley, Southwestern Michigan, Highland, and Black Hawk.
A full season schedule can be found here: https://illinoiscentralcougars.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule.
Fans can follow the team on the ICC volleyball social media sights – Instagram (iccvolleyball) or Facebook (Illinois Central College Volleyball).
