Inductees

In the early 2000s, the survival of a Springfield club volleyball program hung in the balance. The president of the Board of Directors moved out of state, and there was Sue Daugherty, an unpaid volunteer fearing the worst.

“It all kind of fell in my lap,” Daugherty said. “At that time, there weren’t a lot of parents who knew how to run a club or didn’t have the time. And I remember thinking, ‘The club is going to fail.’”

Instead, Daugherty threw all of her energy into what became APEX Volleyball and rose to executive director, ensuring that – over the next two decades — thousands of girls could enhance their skills ahead of high school competition.

Which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Daugherty with the Class of 2021.

Her story is incredible, considering Daughtery was an unpaid volunteer for the first five years while holding the title of executive director. And years later, in 2019, she received the prestigious Robert L. Lindsay Meritorious Service Award from USA Volleyball.

And look at Daugherty’s overall work for the non-profit, previously known as Club Bear Volleyball until 2018. Connie and Steve Faria purchased and renovated The Courts basketball facility and renamed the club to APEX VBC.

In her time, Daugherty has helped the program grow from 10 teams in its inaugural year to 25 to 31 teams a year. That has led to roughly 300 girls competing annually.

She also ran the club out of her home. In those early years, she secured facilities with basketball courts to use for volleyball practices – such as churches, community centers and local schools – and lined up coaches, too.

From 2005 to 2008, they rented time at The Courts before the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield opened its gyms.

Uniforms? Daughtery would organize them throughout her house. And paperwork? Early on, before online forms became a staple, she would take information from tryout forms, then take a batch of registration forms to a local library, where Daugherty entered them into a computer.

Additionally, she opened up the gyms and stayed until the end. Even today, she asks some athletes who drive from long distances to text her once they reach home.

More so, Daugherty recognized that, with Springfield being a basketball town and volleyball less of a priority, developing young athletes had to be a priority before the club could focus on only elite talent.

“There were kids who didn’t have a clue how to get better,” Daugherty said. “It just felt like we had to give the kids an opportunity before we said, ‘You’re not good enough.’ We had to help them learn.”

Daugherty’s interest in volleyball began in the 1990s when her youngest daughter, Caira, was inspired to play at age 8. Then, in 1999, Daugherty first joined Club Bear Volleyball to assist with a year-end banquet.

Soon, she was the executive director and volunteered while working as an administrative assistant for Bass Pro Shops. Jamie Holmes and Chris Willis coached the first few seasons, and then the Club Bear Board of Directors found funds to make Daugherty a full-time employee.

However, running the club is only part of Daugherty’s passion. You see, years ago she attended a coaches clinic run by Heart of America Volleyball, a sanctioning body covering Missouri and Kansas and part of USA Volleyball’s umbrella.

In essence, a seed was planted. Daugherty gained an understanding of key coaching techniques and eventually directed her club volleyball coaches to clinics.

“HOA has a gold certification for clubs, and Club Bear was one of the first to receive it,” Daugherty said. “It was an incentive to do things the right way.”

Before long, Daugherty was serving on HOA’s Board of Directors as Junior Club Director, giving southwest Missouri a voice. Scrutiny was placed on recruiting, hosting tournaments within the guidelines of USAV and better training and communication with Club Directors.

“I felt like clubs should be held accountable,” Daugherty said.

Daugherty thanks many for the success, especially husband Mike and daughters Chris, Caryn and Caira and son Mike. Caira, who played three seasons at the University of Arkansas and later coached at Southwest Baptist University, is an APEX coach.

Daugherty also thanks the Farias, Club Bear Board of Directors and Director of Coaches Jerry Schneider, who has been with the club from the start. Many other coaches have made a difference.

“I absolutely understand there is no way we would have been successful without them,” Daugherty said.