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One of only eight active NCAA Division I volleyball head coaches to eclipse the 650 win mark, Karen Chisum returns for her 29th season at the helm of the Bobcat volleyball program.
As Chisum continues to climb on the coaching-wins ledger from the Bobcat bench, Texas State will go for its fourth Southland Conference Tournament title and NCAA appearance in five years.
Chisum, a Texas State alumnus, has compiled a 652-420-3 record over the course of her 28 seasons, currently ranking her tenth among active Division I coaches for career wins. Career win No. 650 came with a three-game sweep over McNeese State in the first round of the Southland Conference Tournament on Nov. 16, 2007, beginning Texas State's run to the tournament crown as the No. 5 seed. Chisum also earned her 600th career win with a sweep when the Bobcats defeated Morgan State on Sept. 2, 2005, in Texas State's first match of the 2005 season.
Under Chisum's lead, Texas State has captured five regular season conference titles, winning the Gulf Star Conference crown in 1986 and Southland Conference titles in 1991, 2000, 2003 and 2004.
Chisum also led the `Cats to SLC Tournament titles in 1991, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The 2007 Bobcats earned its sixth trip to the NCAA Tournament in school history, as Texas State also captured the Gulf Star Tournament championship in 1986 in addition to its regular season title that year.
For her merits, Chisum was voted by her peers as the Southland Conference Coach of the Year for the third time in 2003 after receiving the award in 1991 and 2000. She also received the same honor in the Gulf Star Conference in 1986.
While 2007 was the third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, it also marked the third straight trip to Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas, for the NCAA Tournament's opening round. Texas State also made trips to Austin in 2004 and 2005, the first back-to-back Bobcat trips to the NCAA's in school history.
Since joining the Southland Conference in 1987, Chisum has guided Texas State to a top-three finish in the final regular season standings in all but seven seasons. For four consecutive years from 1988-1992, the `Cats also advanced to play in the championship match of the SLC Tournament.
Chisum has coached nearly 50 athletes who have received All-Conference honors with the Bobcats, including four in the 2007 season. Overall Texas State has received 73 All-Conference selections, 61 of which have been in the Southland Conference. In 2007 Amy Weigle also became the 15th All-Southland Conference First Team selection under Chisum.
Among the All-Conference performers coached by Chisum were three Player of the Year selections. Kim Wells-Lauwers won the award for the Gulf Star Conference in 1986 while Stephanie Winn-Lane in 1991 and Shenequa Bedford in 2000 took home Southland Conference Player of the Year honors.
Chisum has also guided three SLC Newcomer of the Year selections, as Kristy Braun-Rioux won the honor in 1991, Krisha Neimann-Crosley in 1993 and Jennifer Dallao in 1999.
Several of Texas State's All-Conference performers garnered the honor in multiple seasons. In 1997 Crosley became just the fourth player in Southland Conference history and first Texas State player to earn All-Conference honors all four years. Crosley earned First Team All-SLC honors as a freshman and sophomore and a second team pick as both a junior and senior.
The Bobcats' Krystal Kolkhorst set a new precedent under Chisum by being named the first-ever SLC Setter of the Year in 2004, and a year later the Bobcats marked another feat as Elizabeth Nwoke was named SLC Tournament MVP in 2005 after Kolkhorst had also won the same award in 2004. Kolkhorst was also an Academic All-American in 2004.
As proud as she is of part postseason honors for accomplishments on the court, Chisum says that it is equally important that her players excel in the classroom and as a citizen.
"One thing I stress to my players is to surround themselves with good people. I have been successful in my life and career because I have surrounded myself with good people - my family, my friends, my staff. It's so important that they put themselves in situations they are in control of, and you do that by surrounding yourself with the right people," Chisum said.
Chisum's devotion to academic matters is evident through the accomplishments of a number of her past and present players. A total of 31 Bobcats have earned SLC All-Academic honors 48 times under Chisum's direction, including Emily (Jones) Wilkes' First Team selection in 2007. In 2004, Kolkhorst earned the league's Scholar Athlete of the Year award.
As a squad, the volleyball team has won the Emmitt P. Shelton Academic Excellence Award three times, including both the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years. The award is presented annually to the top Texas State men's and women's athletic teams who achieve the top cumulative grade point average.
Chisum's involvement in volleyball began when she was an assistant at San Marcos Goodnight Middle School. While at Goodnight, Chisum increased her knowledge of the game and began to formulate her own coaching style while learning from head coach Lucy Worley.
Chisum moved up in the coaching ranks when she took a position under Ruth Munk at San Marcos High School before becoming the head coach at New Braunfels High School. Chisum led the Unicorns to a Class 3-A State Runner-Up finish in 1976, coaching former Texas State volleyball and basketball standout Nell Fortner, who went on to be the head coach of the WNBA's Indianapolis Fever and currently is the head coach at Auburn.
In 1980, Chisum was on the move again as she took over for Chris Mayhew as Texas State's fourth head volleyball coach. Chisum credits former Texas State volleyball coach and Women's Athletic Coordinator Karen Fredenberg with helping her make the transition from coaching at the high school level to the college ranks.
"She was a great influence on me, and I admired and respected the way she worked with her players and staff," Chisum said.
Chisum's influence in volleyball reaches far beyond Texas State. She serves as a member of both the NCAA and American Volleyball Coaches Association voting committees for regional and national rankings. She has also been a teaching clinician for various volleyball programs and camps throughout the United States.
In 1994, Chisum became the first female to be accepted for membership in the "T" Association's Hall of Honor. During her intercollegiate days at Texas State, Chisum played on the softball and tennis squads. Induction into the Hall of Honor is the highest award a letterwinner at Texas State can receive.
"It was a great honor and a personal highlight for me," reflected Chisum on her induction.
"The two major reasons why people are chosen to receive the honor closely parallel how I feel about Texas State," Chisum said. "Either you are recognized for your performance as a student-athlete or for what you have accomplished since graduation.
"I am proud to be affiliated with a group like that. Now, as the first female inductee, I am proud to open the door for other women. I've always been inspired by people who give back to the university."
She also co-authored a book with former Bobcat track and volleyball player Stephenie Scott Jordan. The book is titled Developing a Successful Volleyball Program.
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