Inductees

Looking at the nearly endless banners in their home arena, it’s easy to assume it was always this way for the Missouri State University Volleyball Program. The reality, however, was that the Bears traveled there the hard way – and not just literally.

In April 1970, 12 years after the program’s launch and having played in uniforms of white blouses with numbers sewn on by players, only seven players were allowed to travel to the national tournament in southern California. Because they were not flying but riding in a station wagon.

“If you got out of pool play, you were in the top eight of the country, and we did that on a regular basis,” said Linda Dollar, who helped the 1970 team do just that before becoming the team’s coach. “A few years later, there was a volleyball magazine where they ranked the top 10 to 15 schools and it was like, ‘They know about us.’”

From there, the Bears built a tradition, which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Missouri State University Volleyball Program with the Class of 2019.

After all, the 2018 fall season marked Missouri State’s 47^th. The program has more than 1,250 victories – ranking fifth on the NCAA all-time list – and likely has hundreds more wins, considering records were not kept in its first 14 seasons when led by Dr. Mary Jo Wynn (MSHOF Legend 2014). The Bears have had only two other coaches in Dollar (MSHOF 2011) and Melissa Stokes (MSHOF 2017).

Along the way, the program has won 15 conference tournament titles, nine regular-season championships and have enjoyed 39 20-win seasons. Plus, it can count 24 postseason berths. In fact, 13 teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament (1982, 1990, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017).

Additionally, eight players have played professionally, eight have earned All-America honors a total of 17 times, and 38 have been First Team All-Conference.

And to think it all began with a dream.

In 1958, Dr. Wynn sought out women majoring in physical education in order to form a volleyball team for then-Southwest Missouri State College and was only getting warmed up. When the DGWS, or Division for Girls and Women’s Sports, put together a state tournament in 1969, Wynn challenged her team – and the Bears won it.

That was no surprise to players, considering MSU Volleyball also had a junior varsity and a B team, which was beating area schools’ varsities. And so MSU was off to the 28-team, four-pool national tournament in California, a volleyball mecca.

“Nobody knew anything about volleyball teams this side of the Rocky Mountains,” Dollar said.

They soon would learn. On a mission – and with new uniforms players purchased themselves – the Bears advanced from pool play and took a game from Long Beach State.

Since, MSU Volleyball helped positively influence the game and its incredible growth, locally and nationally. Wynn helped form the AIAW, or Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, which paved the way for recognition and admittance into the NCAA.

The 1970s saw MSU travel to Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Los Angeles and beyond. It also hosted Penn State, Nebraska, Texas and Illinois.

In 1976, Missouri State hosted its first summer camp, and soon Springfield fielded its first juniors club team. Now the area counts far north of 100.

Remarkably, before Wynn’s passing in January 2019, the program’s three coaches all worked together.

“The history and tradition of the program is something very, very special,” Stokes said. “It drives you.”

In 24 seasons (1972-1995), Dollar compiled a 758-266-21 record, led three teams to NCAA appearances and 10 AIAW national tournament berths, with a top AIAW finish of No. 5 in 1981.

Since 1996, Stokes’ teams (through 2018) were 492-228, reached 10 NCAA Tournaments in the past 15 seasons and finished at least second in either the MVC regular season or tournament in 13 of the past 17 years. The 2017 team attained a Top 25 ranking.

Regional recruits know the history.

“They didn’t want to be the first team not to win 20 games or the first team not to miss the NCAA Tournament,” Stokes said.

Even better, volleyball regionally has become even more competitive, allowing the program to recruit statewide rather than with eyes on West Coast talent.

“It’s amazing what’s transpired,” Dollar said. “We had coaching clinics and player clinics, and it took a long time, but eventually players became coaches. It’s been a lot of fun to see.”