In 1915 a volleyball tournament was held, which is believed to be the first women's volleyball team in Oshkosh. Even though volleyball had been played before this time, the 1915 team was first to be mentioned in a publication (Quiver, 1915). The first team to be pictured came about 11 years later when Miss Menzel's volleyball team won a tournament in 1926 at Oshkosh State Teacher's College.

1925-1926 Women's Volleyball team in their finest sailor suits.

Due to increased interest and large turnouts at the gym, women's volleyball was played on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in the "little gym." The little gym was the facility used by the Girl's Athletic Association. Teams were formed by the Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior/Senior classes and supervised by the Girl's Athletic Association "sport heads" (Quiver, 1926). Sport heads were women who were responsible for organizing athletic events for the women who attended the school.

During this time volleyball was considered a minor sport. Women who played volleyball on a regular basis received fifty points towards earning an "O" (Quiver, 1929). The Letter "O" was earned by athletes after participating in various athletic sports. In 1933, women's volleyball was considered a new major sport.

In 1937 the Girl's Athletic Association was changed to the Women's Athletic Association (Quiver, 1937). With this change, more activities were introduced to the women, bringing more variety to women's athletics. Between 1937 and 1960, the W.A.A. organized teams consisting of sororities and independent teams to practice and play in annual tournaments.

In the 1960s, sport days were organized to draw interest to women's athletics at Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh. In volleyball, games and a tournament would be conducted between different teams at the school and in the Oshkosh area. On Saturday December 12, 1959, a volleyball sport day was held at Oshkosh with Taycheedah Women's Home (OSC Advance, 1959). This was the first mention of a team traveling to Oshkosh to participate in a volleyball match.

Starting in1968, Dr. Helen Briwa became the coach of the women's volleyball team. The team consisted of an "A" and a "B" team. Briwa continued to coach volleyball until 1973. Just before this time in 1971, the Wisconsin Athletic and Recreation Federation of College Women (WARFCW) became the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC) (Briwa, 1999).

Following Briwa as a coach was Nancy Hunter. Hunter coached the volleyball team in the 1974 and 1975 seasons. During these seasons, the volleyball team did not receive much press because they only played once or twice in a two week period.

Taking over as coach of the volleyball team in 1976 was Janet Baker. It was during this time that volleyball games were played on a more regular basis. The next coach, Judy Novinc, took over in 1977. Novinc continued to coach until after the 1978 season. The next year brought Coach Barbara Wagner in 1979 and then replaced by coach Wendee Saintsing in 1980. The year 1981 brought about another new coach, Betty Ralston. Ralston continued to coach the volleyball team until the current coach, Marty Petersen, took over in 1983. Even though the women's volleyball team had many coaches, "...the teams were very competitive and successful" (Briwa, 1999).

With Marty Petersen at the helm, "Petersen has built the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball program into a regular national tournament participant" (UWO Volleyball brochure, 1998).

Petersen has guided the Titans to three NCAA Division III Final Four appearances, seven NCAA Division III Tournament invitations, four WIAC championships and six 40- win seasons (UWO Volleyball brochure, 1998).

What is the outlook for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Titan women's volleyball team? With the addition of quality freshmen, recruits, and contributions from seasoned veterans, the Titans will continue to be successful.

1998 Women's Volleyball Team

Volleyball "Sports Head" Timeline Volleyball Coaches Timeline

1926 Miss Menzel
1926 Gaynell Neff
1927 Gaynell Neff
1928 Elaine Mc Dermand
1929 Josephine Fellie
1930 Rose Schlegel
1931 Helen Weber
1932 Gladys Perkerson
1933 Gladys Perkerson
1934 Gladys Perkerson
1935 Gladys Perkerson
1937-1967 Not Published




1968 Helen Briwa
1969 Helen Briwa
1970 Helen Briwa
1971 Helen Briwa
1972 Helen Briwa
1973 Helen Briwa
1974 Nancy Hunter
1975 Nancy Hunter
1976 Janet Baker
1977 Judy Novinc
1978 Judy Novinc
1979 Barbara Wagner 1980 Wendee Saintsing
1981 Betty Ralston
1982 Betty Ralston
1983 - Present Marty Petersen

References

Briwa, Helen. H. (1999, February & March) Personal interview.

Quiver. (1915 & 1926-1974).

The Advance, (1943, October 29) vol. 26, no. 2. p. 8.

The Oshkosh Advance, vol. LII, #65, October, 13,1961; p.8.

The Oshkosh State College Advance, 1959.

UWO Volleyball Brochure. (1998).