Inductees

Back in 1984, just about any story published in newspapers about the West Plains High School volleyball team got clipped out and glued into a scrapbook.

It seemed like a nice hobby for then-coach Trish Knight (MSHOF 2008). But there was a problem – a good problem – because newspapers kept publishing one story after another over the next several years.

One headline in 1984 screamed “They’re No. 1” while another read, “The 1986 volleyball Zizzers: 30-0-0” and one from 1987 boasted, “Zizzer volleyballers spike 4th championship.”

What a run it was, and it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the 1984 to 1991 Era of West Plains High School Volleyball with the Class of 2022.

The Zizzers reached six Final Fours and two other state quarterfinals in that span. Specifically, they won four consecutive state championships (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987) in Class 4 – the highest classification at the time – and placed third in 1990 and 1991. The 1988 and 1989 teams advanced to the state quarterfinals.

All told, the Zizzers were 115-4-2 during the four-year state championship run, a remarkable record considering the dominance began only five seasons after Knight arrived in 1980. In other words, they took the state by storm, with not many in volleyball hotbeds having ever heard of them before.

“They know us know,” Knight said boldly in a 1984 season-ending story.

The backstory? Actually, it’s more than one.

The West Plains era featured a laser-focused coach who had played for the 1975 Licking High School State Championship Volleyball Team (MSHOF 2016). Additionally, groups of girls were willing to endure grueling practices in order to build and maintain tradition, plus put in summer work on club and Junior Olympic teams.

“Trish came to some of the rural (middle) schools and started working with us at a young age, and also got us involved in summer camps,” said Melinda Bingham Swope, who played on each of the state championship teams. “It was big compliment to get noticed at that age.”

The Zizzers of 1982 and 1983 were a combined 42-12-2, building momentum for the road ahead.

In 1984, a regular season win against Kickapoo signaled what could be. West Plains had never beaten the Chiefs. But that night, 5-foot-9 senior Ruth Norton played despite dislocating a finger in warm-ups and, as it turned out, had broken two bones in her hand.

West Plains later beat Kickapoo again in the district championship, and surged to the state title, beating Truman High School 2-1 and finished 27-1.

The 1985 Zizzers (25-3-2) beat Washington 2-0 in the championship as the community truly rallied around the team yet again. In the scrapbooks and yearbooks, photos show packed gyms for home matches.

The 1986 team (30-0) never went to a third set in Final Four play and beat St. Joseph’s Academy 2-0 in the finals. Knight thanked opposing SCA teams for readying the Zizzers for the postseason, saying in the paper, “Salem, Eminence and Mountain Grove could play with any of them (the Final Four teams).”

The 1987 team finished 33-0 and were called “The No Names” because only one starter returned from the previous season. In the finals against Kirkwood, the Zizzers rallied from a 12-2 deficit to win the opening set.

Each of the teams from 1986 to 1991 also won South Central Association championships.

Both the 1988 and 1989 teams reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Joplin, which went on to place fourth in Class 4 both seasons.

“They had followed those other teams, and they were special to me,” Knight said. “It was heartbreaking. I’ll never forget how bad those kids felt. But they were building toward the ‘90s.”

West Plains exacted revenge in 1990. That team (31-5-2) beat Jefferson City in sectionals after losing a key player, Jamalee Roberts, to a knee injury. Cynthia Ford stepped forward with six points and 11 digs.

The 1991 team (28-8-2) suffered pool play losses to the eventual state champion and state runner-up before bouncing back to place third. That was impressive. The team had only two seniors and liked to chant, “Razzle dazzle, give ‘em a hassle.”

Overall, the era produced 12 All-Staters, eight NCAA Division I and six Division II players, and several high school head coaches.

“Coach Knight expected a lot out of us,” Miller said. “I played at the collegiate level and would put our practices up against any in college. She just set a standard higher than anybody around.”

And the Zizzers made history.