Inductees

Pure athletic dominance is always amazing to witness. Whether you are a fan of a particular team or athlete, greatness is easy to admire. Perhaps no team or program in the history of Missouri high school volleyball was more dominant than the Bernie High School volleyball program from 1994-99.

Under the direction of head coach Bill Zoll, the Mules won five state championships during those six seasons, with a state runner-up finish in 1997. The 1995 team, in fact, was 38-0. At one point, the Mules won a state record 76 consecutive matches.

Zoll and Bernie produced 26 All-State selections, as voted on by the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association. This level of success is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Bernie High School Volleyball Era of 1994-99 as part of its Class of 2024.

What made those Bernie teams so successful and so dominant?

“Our conditioning,” said former Mule Amy Johnson Dirks, who played for Bernie from 1994-97. “That was something Coach Zoll was adamant about. He wanted us to be physically fit and not just learn the skills of volleyball. We conditioned like no one else. Our endurance was far beyond that of our opponents. We were not just in the gym to play volleyball.”

But it was more than just conditioning.

“The main thing that stands out was our respect for each other,” Johnson Dirks said. “We might not have always been the best of friends off the court, but we mutually respected each other because we all put in the hard work. Bernie at the time didn’t have air conditioning and we were practicing in July and August. It was intense. But we grinded together and that made us a cohesive team on the court.”

The players also loved the game.

“Any opportunity we had to play outside of the organized part we were doing it. When you have a genuine love for something it all comes together.”

Zoll’s wife, Judy, an ever-present figure on the sidelines and at practices, credits the players for Bernie’s success.

“The group of girls he had is why they were successful,” Judy Zoll said. “Once one team has success, the girls behind them want the same thing. Part of it was the caliber of the girls, too. Every one of those girls were high achievers academically. They had the ability to think about what they needed to do and how to do it.”

When they played volleyball, they played it like no one else.

The 1994 squad started this amazing championship run, finishing with a 38-1 record and Bernie’s first state title in any sport.

Bernie’s 1995 squad went undefeated with a 38-0 record and another state title. That 1995 squad also was part of a state-record 76 consecutive victories, a streak which spanned over parts of three seasons.

State championships followed in 1996, 1998 and 1999. From 1994 to 1996, Bernie High School posted a volleyball record of 108-2, an absurd .982 winning percentage.

While the players changed, the one constant was Zoll. By all accounts, he was a tough coach, but that toughness was often the difference for the Mules.

“That toughness is why were we able to withstand adversity while we were playing,” Johnson Dirks said. “We had already been through the thick of it.”

Those lessons made an impact beyond the volleyball court.

“It carries over into life as well,” Johnson Dirks said. “He had a work-hard ethic. You work hard and show me you’ll work hard, and you’ll reap the benefits, whether it’s on the court, in the classroom, in your job or in life.”

While physical fitness was important, mental toughness was also a hallmark of Zoll’s Bernie squads.

“He put the accountability on you, to work things through yourself,” Johnson Dirks said. “If you were struggling in a game or not very confident, it was up to you to pick yourself up.”

Zoll and the Mules also had great community and family support.

“He also had parental support for all of the long practices and practicing on the weekends,” Judy Zoll said. “He was able to take kids to tournaments. They would go to tournaments at Arkansas State and SEMO. That’s a lot of time commitment for families.”

The community and family support wasn’t lost on the players.

“Winning a state tournament is a great accomplishment and it feels incredible in the moment,” Johnson Dirks said. “But it’s the support from the community, and the parades that stand out. Those are my fondest memories.”