The W Athletics

When you look back at the 1986 Mississippi University for Women volleyball team, just think of its accomplishments as an elegant dining experience. And for the members of the Blues' – as MUW's teams were known back then – volleyball program, their induction as a part of the second class into The W Athletics Hall of Fame, is tantamount to receiving a 5-star review for their efforts
 
They had the recipe
The Blues were coming off of what – to this very day – is the school record for most wins in a season, after amassing a 44-3 record in 1985. That 1986 squad posted a 37-4 record versus what was, arguably, the most difficult schedule of games ever attempted in the sport at MUW, playing as an NCAA Division II affiliate. The team won three of five tournaments entered.
 
How good were they? Well, from September 23 to December 5, the Blues did not lose a contest: a record 27-consecutive matches won! Among the Blues' victims in 1986 were the top-ranked team in the South Region (University of Tampa), the South Region's No. 2 team (Florida Southern), the No. 2 team from the Northeast Region (CW Post), and a three-set sweep of the No. 1-ranked – and previously undefeated - NAIA team (University of Montevallo) twice. Sprinkle in some big-name schools like Southern Miss, North Alabama, Jackson State, Troy State, and Mississippi State among its wins and one knew the Blues' were cooking up something special by season's end.
 
They had all the right ingredients
Two-thirds of the roster – eight players in all - from the 44-3 team returned to the fold in 1986. The team's seniors included Janelle Bollinger, Lisa Duncan, Rhonda Traylor, and Celeste Waguespack, along with juniors Nannette Hornsby and Joan Rousset. Returning sophomores were Lee Cole and Annie Whitson. Four newcomers rounded out the roster: Crystal Nettles, Courtney Hill, Rhonda Rhodes, and Michelle Sarrazin.
 
"To a person, if you ask the members of the 1986 MUW volleyball team =what they say to each other about being on that team, you'll hear 'I couldn't have been me without all of you'," Hornsby explained of her teammates. "That's what a truly special team is: members who put 'team' ahead of 'self', and give everything they have within them to achieve unprecedented accomplishments for each other, for the school, and for the State of Mississippi."
 
They had strong Cajun flavor added
No less than half of the 1986 Blues' roster came from New Orleans-area high schools. Seniors Waguespack and Bollinger, along with junior Rousset, all came from Cabrini High School. Senior Duncan was from Archbishop Chapelle High School. Sophomore Whitson and freshman Sarrazin were from now-defunct Seton Academy. All demonstrated volleyball acumen, along the way and after college.
 
Former longtime Cabrini head coach Yvonne Hrapmann – who either coached or knew of the players via club teams – fondly recalls the Cabrini trio her program contributed to MUW's roster.
 
"I am thrilled for these former Cabrini High student-athletes," Hrapmann said. "Celeste, Janelle, and Joan were talented and dedicated members of a championship New Orleans Girls' Catholic High School League (GCHSAA) volleyball team.  Celeste Waguespack demonstrated smart court sense and strategy, and leadership. Janelle Bollinger was a fierce competitor and team player.  Joan was a quick and consistent contributor to the success of the squad.  
 
"The threesome shared a passion for - and pride in - their teammates and Cabrini High School, always representing our athletic program with distinction.  They are most deserving to be inducted to the MUW Hall of Fame."
 
Waguespack, Duncan, Bollinger, and Rousset all had coaching careers at either the high school or club level after college. Duncan, who took Mandeville (La.) to the Division 1 state tournament this year, was also inducted to the Chapelle H.S. Hall of Fame.
 
The Blues had a "Master Chef" putting it all together
The culinary world had Wolfgang Puck; MUW had coach Samye Johnson. Both demonstrated the pinnacle of their craft at putting ingredients together for a delicious result. Let's face it: you know you've done something right when your name is on a structure. "Wolfgang" can be seen on restaurants and Samye Johnson's name adorns the playing surface at Pohl Gym for good reason.
 
Johnson was the architect of the tremendous success of The W volleyball during its early years, serving as a coach for 15 seasons from 1979-93. Johnson presided over what was, without a doubt, the most incredible back-to-back seasons in program history in 1985 and 1986, where the team finished top 8 in the nation both years in reaching the NCAA II national championships and rolled up a combined record of 81-7! Johnson was the NCAA II National Coach of the Year in 1985 and two-time South Region Coach of the Year (1985 and 1986).
 
In 1986, her Blues sank the Naval Academy in the first round of the NCAA tournament, before bowing our versus perennial power, and top-seeded, Cal State Northridge to end that amazing 27-match win skein. Her '86 squad boasted two all-Americans (Cole and Waguespack), as well as three all-South Region honorees (Cole, Waguespack, and Duncan).
 
Just "desserts"
The enshrinement of the 1986 Volleyball Team into The W Athletics Hall of Fame seems to somehow be the ideal way to top off what this team has cooked up during its time and in subsequent years. This group gave MUW the standard of excellence on the court, to be sure.
 
But the ladies also carried the banner of The W with them through their lives, as well. Be it as an SEC and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame coach like Johnson, with no less than seven players serving as a mentor to high school and/or club volleyball athletes, serving our country through military service like Cole and Traylor, or even performing at the Bluebird Café in Nashville (Hornsby), these ladies showed that the only thing greater than the love and respect they have for each other, is the deep affection and commitment to being the benchmark for all that is good about The W Athletics.