A former Quincy Blue Devil will be the new leader of the Knox College women’s volleyball program.
Maliah Blakemore has been hired as the Knox College volleyball coach and Senior Woman Administrator. Knox College Director of Athletics Corey Goff announced the move Monday.
Most recently, Blakemore was the assistant volleyball coach at Kansas Wesleyan University. She helped lead the Coyotes to the opening round of the NAIA National Championships in 2023.
“We are pleased to announce Maliah’s addition to the Prairie Fire team,” Goff said. “Her dedication to student development, coupled with her extensive knowledge and experience in recruiting as well as her passion for the game, make her a valuable asset to our program and a welcomed addition to the Knox Community.“
Blakemore arrived at Kansas Wesleyan after spending the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the head coach at Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) where she led the Trojans to 25 wins. She was named as the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Coach of the Year in 2021, leading HLGU to a nine-win improvement from the prior season. She also helped HLGU to its best record in the last 15 years.
“I want to thank Director of Athletics Corey Goff, the search committee, and Knox College for granting me the opportunity to lead the volleyball program,” Blakemore said.
“I am excited to be a part of a school that is so welcoming and cares about their people. I can’t wait to build this program and help volleyball players be great student-athletes. I want our student-athletes to show their drive for success on and off the court.”
Before becoming the head coach at Hannibal-LaGrange, Blakemore was a graduate assistant for the Trojans for one season in 2020.
Before arriving at HLGU, Blakemore played four seasons at Lincoln Christian University (LCU) where she was selected to the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) Second Team All-Conference in 2016 and 2017, followed by First Team All-Conference selections in 2018 and 2019. She was named as the 2019 AII Setter of the Year.
She was selected to the AII All-Tournament all four years at Lincoln Christian. She finished her career ranked third all-time in assists at LCU. While at LCU, the women’s volleyball team qualified for the NAIA National Volleyball Tournament twice.
Blakemore played at Quincy High School in nearby Quincy, and was a three-year starter. As a senior she led Illinois High School Class 4A in assists.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from Lincoln Christian, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership in business from HLGU.