Standing front to back: Joyce Dettor Murphy, Dr. Dianne Jones, Connie Urlage Duncan, Margie Heise Cyr, Marcia Mueller Hayden, Lynne Morris, Bernie Kok, Sharon Brown, Melody Middleton Thompson. Front row sitting-front to back: Cathy Brumbaugh Anderson, Velma Lehmann, Sue Maslanka Gaynor, Dusty Chandler Gray, Dr. Geri Polvino (Head Coach). Absent manager, Dr. Kay Johnson. (Scroll down to find out more about the individuals on the 1973 team).
Celebrating the 1973 EKU Volleyball Team
A note from your coach:
Congrats on being selected the First Women's Team of Distinction to be inducted into EKU Athletics Hall of Fame 2024.
Also for all your work over the years on improving the lives of those who crossed your path, and specifically for the young people whose lives you have improved.
Your accomplishments on the court and off the court have been extraordinary. It is time to take center stage.
I am so proud of each and every one of you.
Dr. Geri Polvino
Please enjoy the photos below from our event!
About
The 1973 volleyball team at Eastern Kentucky University led by Hall of Fame coach Dr. Geri Polvino compiled the best overall record for a team in the history of the EKU volleyball program with a win/loss record of 26/4 (.867). The 1973 volleyball team was denied an opportunity to participate in the 1973 Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Volleyball Championship after receiving an at-large bid (one of seven teams across the nation) due to budgetary constraints.
The 1973 volleyball team dominated their opponents and went undefeated for the second year in a row in State competition and won EKU’s third consecutive State championship in the Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference (KWIC). The State Championship results qualified the team for the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Regional II Championships which was held at East Carolina University. Eastern Kentucky University placed 3rd at the AIAW Region II Championships and their record after the regional championships was 26-4.
Based on their overall record of 26-4, the EKU squad competed nationally for an at-large bid to the national tournament. Nine teams qualified for the national championships by winning their regional tournament and all the teams in the country competed for the final seven at-large spots. The 1973 Eastern Kentucky University Volleyball Team was selected for one of the seven at-large bids but budgetary constraints kept the team from participating.
Members of the 1973 team were also athletes on the following teams that dominated Kentucky volleyball competition, qualified four times for the AIAW regional tournament and four times for the national championships while competing in three national championships instead of four because of the denied opportunity to compete for the 1973 team.
1971
Record: 20-7 (.741)
First Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference (KWIC) Championship and the team went undefeated.
There were no regional or national championships available to women.
1972
Record: 20-8 (.714)
Second consecutive Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference (KWIC) Championship and the team went undefeated for the second year in a row.
This was the first year of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Volleyball Championships and EKU won the regionals to advance to the national championships while winning Kentucky’s first regional championship.
The regional volleyball title was also Kentucky’s first women’s regional title in any intercollegiate sport.
At the 1972 AIAW National Championships EKU lost to Long Beach State University which was the eventual 1972 AIAW National Volleyball Champions.
1974
Record: 30- 11 (.732)
The 1974 team won the 4th straight Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference (KWIC) Championship.
EKU won their second AIAW Region II Championship.
This was the second regional title in three years and the team competed at the national
championships in Portland, Oregon.
1975
Record: 28-11 (.717)
The team won the 5th straight Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference (KWIC) Championship. Their second consecutive AIAW Region II Championship and their third in four years.
They competed at the AIAW National Championships in Princeton, New Jersey. EKU made their best showing with a 14th place at the AIAW National Championships.
1972-1975
Record: 165-41 (.800)
The era from 1972-1975 were the most successful teams in the history of volleyball at Eastern Kentucky University.
In a four-year span EKU won:
Four straight undefeated State Championships (1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975 as well as 1971)
Three AIAW Region II Championships (1972, 1974 and 1975) and was runner-up in 1973
Advanced to the AIAW National Tournament three of those four years. If Eastern Kentucky University had accepted the national at-large bid in 1973 then EKU volleyball would have qualified for the first four consecutive AIAW National Volleyball Championships.
Special thanks to Dr. Debbie Hall (EKU Class of 1974) for nominating the 1973 volleyball team to the Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Get to Know the Team
Joyce Dettor Murphy
Joyce Dettor Murphy graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1975 with a degree in physical education and an endorsement in coaching and athletic training. In 1975 she received the Senior Citation for Athletics. Joyce was from Covington, Kentucky (Holmes High School) where she still resides. Joyce was a member of the volleyball team from 1971 - 1975 and she was a starter in 1974. She is also in the Covington Turners Hall of Fame (2012) and the Covington Public Schools Hall of Fame (2015).
Joyce received her Master of Arts in Education from Northern Kentucky University in 1984. After a 35-year tenure as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Covington Independent Public Schools, she retired in 2010 and then served four years on the Covington School Board (2013-2016). During her teaching tenure Joyce received a Golden Apple Outstanding Teacher Award (1990), the Cincinnatus Association Northern Kentucky Distinguished Teacher Award (2009), and was recognized as a Covington Education Foundation Hall of Honors Distinguished Alumni (2019).
Margie Heise Cyr
Margie Heise Cyr graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1976 with a degree in Business Administration and a Masters of Business Administration degree in 1977. Margie was from Bellevue, Kentucky (Bellevue High School) and currently resides in Makawao, Hawaii. Margie was a member of the volleyball team from 1972-1975. Margie started in 1975 and was elected co-captain for the team.
Margie entered the Air Force in 1980 and resigned her commission in 1988 as a Captain. Margie was a member of the United States Air Force women’s volleyball team.
Lynne Morris
Lynne Morris graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1976 with a degree in Physical Education and received the Senior Citation for Athletics that same year. Lynne has two master’s degree in Physical Education and Administration. She was from Reading, Ohio (Mount Notre Dame High School-MND) and currently resides in Liberty Township, Ohio. Lynne was a member of the volleyball team from 1972-1975. She was a four-year starter and was the team captain in 1975. She was selected by her teammates as the Sportswomen in Volleyball (Outstanding Team member) in 1975. She was named an “Outstanding College Athlete of America” in 1972 for volleyball and basketball and in 1975 for volleyball. Lynne was inducted into the Mount Notre Dame High School Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete and the McAuley High School Athletics Hall of Fame as a coach.
Cathy Brumbaugh Anderson
Cathy Brumbaugh Anderson graduated With Distinction from Eastern Kentucky University in 1976 with a B.S. in Secondary Physical Education and a coaching endorsement. In 1976, she was named to “Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities" and received the Senior Citation for Athletics. She was from Englewood, Ohio and attended Northmont High School where she was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020. She currently resides in Mill Creek, Washington. Cathy was a member of the Eastern Kentucky University Volleyball Team from 1972-1975.
Dr. Geri Polvino (Head Coach)
Dr. Geri Polvino was the volleyball coach at Eastern Kentucky University from 1966-68 and 1970-1997. Her overall record was 627-439. During the era of 1971-1976 her teams won five undefeated Kentucky Women’s Intercollegiate Conference Championships (1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975). Three Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Region II championships in 1972, 1974, 1975 and placed third in 1973. Her teams participated in the AIAW National Championships in 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976 and received an at- large bid in 1973.
Dr. Polvino was the Ohio Valley Coach of the Year eight times (league record at retirement-1981,1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 Co-Winner, 1990) and was named Ohio Valley Conference All-Time Volleyball Coach Award in 1988. Her teams won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championships nine times and the Ohio Valley Regular Season Conference Championships nine times. Polvino coached teams had a 49 consecutive win record against OVC opponents.
Dr. Polvino is a member of the following Hall of Fames: SUNY: Brockport Athletics Hall of Fame-1989; EKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni-1991; Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame-2005; EKU Athletics Hall of Fame-2006. Polvino was the world’s first woman instructor appointed to the FIVB Commission of Education/Commission of Coaches and it was a unanimous decision in 1983. She served as President of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport’s Coaches Academy, chaired the NAGWS Volleyball Committee and served on the USVBA Board of Directors. Polvino helped pioneer the National Invitational Volleyball Championships. She was recognized at the 2012 NCAA National Volleyball Championships as a Title IX Contributor.
Dr. Dianne Jones
Dianne Jones graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a double major in Physical Education and School Health in 1974, a master’s degree from Western Illinois University in 1975 (Socio-Cultural Aspects of Sport) and doctorate from West Virginia University (Psychology of Sport) in 1979. She was from Lancaster, Ohio (Lancaster High School) and currently resides in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.
Jones was a member of the women’s volleyball team from 1970-1973. She was a three-year starter and was the team captain in 1972 and co-captain in 1973. She was selected by her teammates as the Sportswomen in Volleyball (Outstanding Team member) in 1972 and 1973. She was named an “Outstanding College Athlete of America” in 1973 and 1974. Prior to the 1973 AIAW regional tournament the Louisville Courier-Journal & Times wrote an article about Dianne and it was the first ever feature article about a collegiate female athlete in any sport. In 1974 she was named “Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities" and received the Senior Citation for Athletics.
In 1995 Jones was awarded the Women's Sports Advocates of Wisconsin, Inc. "Lifetime Achievement Award” as well as the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport Pathfinder Award – Wisconsin. In 2000 she was named Eastern Kentucky University’s Outstanding Physical Education Alumni in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science. In 2003 she was inducted into the Lancaster High School’s (Ohio) Distinguished Hall of Fame. Jones was the first women’s coach to be inducted into the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame (2003) and was the first collegiate women’s basketball coach to be inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2022 she was inducted into the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
Sharon Brown
Sharon Brown graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Law Enforcement-Juvenile Delinquency and she received a Master of Religious Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1979. Sharon was from Fort Thomas, Kentucky (Highlands High School) and currently resides in Wilder, Kentucky.
After years of working in social services with children and youth, she began working in the business environment. She retired from Toyota North America Corporate office HRIS in June 2018. Sharon was a member of the Eastern Kentucky University women’s volleyball team in 1971-1974 and she was a four-year starter.
Melody Middleton Thompson
Melody Middleton Thompson graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1975. Melody was from Mason, Ohio (Mason High School) and currently resides in Venice, Florida. Melody was a member of the women’s volleyball team in 1971-1974. She was a four-year starter and was the team co-captain of the team in 1973 and 1974. She was named an “Outstanding College Athlete of America” in 1972 and 1974. Melody is in the Mason High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Dusty Chandler Gray
Dusty Chandler Gray graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1974 with a degree in Physical Education and she received a master’s degree in education. She is originally from Madison, Indiana, graduating from Madison Consolidated High School in 1970. She currently resides in Hamersville, Ohio.
Dusty played for the Eastern Kentucky University Women’s volleyball team from 1970-1973 and in 1974 she received the Senior Citation for Athletics.
For the past 50 years Dusty has been serving her community in the educational system as a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal, and as an online advisor. However, her biggest accomplishment in life is her family, her daughter Chrissa Shelley, granddaughter Taylor (Scottie) Ramp, and great granddaughter Addison Louise Ramp.
Dr. Kay Johnson, Manager (Absent)
Kay Johnson graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1974 with a degree in Physical Education and received the Senior Citation for Athletics. She was from North Ridgeville, Ohio, where she graduated from high school. After graduating from Eastern Kentucky University, she earned her master’s degree in Physical Education (Indiana University, 1975) and doctorate in Physical Education Administration (University of Georgia,1982). Kay taught and coached at the University of Florida (volleyball and softball), Gordon Junior College (softball) and University of North Carolina at Charlotte (volleyball and softball). She then made a career change and began working in the airline industry where she retired after 34 years. She trained customer service agents at American Airlines both in the US and abroad. She now resides in Kathleen, Georgia.
Connie Urlage Duncan
Connie Urlage Duncan graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1975 with a BS in Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance with a Coaching endorsement. She went on to earn a MA in HPERD from Murray State University in 1976 and later a certification in Adapted Physical Education from Southeastern Louisiana University.
Connie was the daughter of Dick and Margie Urlage from Fort Thomas, Kentucky. She graduated from Highlands High school in 1971. Connie coached and taught in Jefferson Parish Schools in Louisiana. She currently resides in Venice, Florida.
Connie was a four-year starter on the volleyball team from 1971-1974. In 1974 she was a co-captain, selected by her teammates as the Sportswomen in Volleyball (Outstanding Team member), and received the Senior Citation for Athletics. Connie was also named an "Outstanding College Athlete of America" in 1973.
Marcia Mueller Hayden
Marcia Mueller Hayden graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1977 with a degree in Physical Education. That same year she was named to “Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities" and received the Senior Citation for Athletics. In 1981 Marcia received a master’s degree in Special Education. Marcia was from Louisville, Kentucky (Presentation Academy) where she currently resides. She was a member of the volleyball team from 1973-1976. Marcia was a two-year starter and co-captain in 1976. She was inducted into the first class of the Presentation Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
Bernadette Kok
Bernadette Kok graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1976 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree and received the Senior Citation for Athletics that same year. Bernie also has a master’s degree in special education. Bernadette was from Louisville, Kentucky (Pleasure Ridge High School) and currently resides in Richmond, Kentucky. Her parents are George and Bernadette Kok. Bernadette was a member of the volleyball team from 1972-1975. She was a three-year starter and was named an “Outstanding College Athlete of America” in 1973, 1974 and 1975 for volleyball and basketball.
Bernadette taught physical education and behavioral disorders for thirty-four years in Kentucky retiring in 2012. She coached basketball for 22 years and was named Coach of the Year in 1978 at Betsy Layne High School (26-2 record). Kok was inducted into the Pleasure Ridge Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame for volleyball and basketball in 2023.
Velma Lehmann
Velma Lehmann graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1977 with a degree in Physical Education with a coaching emphasis. She has a master’s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Psychology (1978). Velma was from Cincinnati, Ohio (Princeton High School) where she currently resides with her daughter and granddaughter. Velma was a member of the volleyball team from 1973-1976. She was a two-year starter and co-captain in 1976. She was selected by her teammates as the Sportswomen in Volleyball (Outstanding Team member) in 1976 and in 1977. She was named “Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities" and received the Senior Citation for Athletics in 1977.
Velma Lehmann was inducted into the Princeton High School Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete as well as the McAuley High School Athletics Hall of Fame where she taught and coached (softball) for forty-three years. She was also inducted into the State of Ohio Coaches Fastpitch Softball Hall of Fame. She played softball on five national championship teams which resulted in induction into the following: Cincinnati USSSA Softball Hall of Fame, Ohio USSSA Softball Hall of Fame, and the United States Slowpitch Softball National Hall of Fame.
Sue Maslanka Gaynor
Susan Maslanka Gaynor graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Law Enforcement. She graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Chicago, Illinois, where Susan played volleyball for four years and her team played in Chicago City Championships each year. She joined the Eastern Kentucky Volleyball team in 1973 as a sophomore after transferring from the University of Illinois. She currently resides in Darien, Illinois.