When people think about the fall of 1980 at East Texas State, most people think about the Lion football team that rode the arm to future NFL quarterback Wade Wilson to the NAIA National Semifinals that finished 3rd in the nation and almost won their second national championship in 8 years, but in that time, Women’s sports was starting at East Texas and one of the first sports was Volleyball. Donna Tavener became the first head coach and in the first season in the fall of 1978, Lion Volleyball notched a 23-22 record, and the next season regressed to an 11-18 record, but in the 3rd season in 1980, the Lion Women started their golden decade of volleyball.

The Lone Star Conference did not sponsor volleyball until 1983, but the Lion Women were members of an national at-large conference called the Association of Intercollegiate Women’s Athletics (AWIA), and in 1980, they were invited to their first national tournament. It was a milestone for Women’s athletics at East Texas State in only 3 years of play. Female athletes at ET had the chance to run track, play basketball, and play tennis, but volleyball was showing what the school could do.

For a brief while, the thought of playing in Whitley Gym for Volleyball was an idea, or perhaps even building a new facility for Volleyball only, but the University, already having financing issues, decided to go with the University Fieldhouse as home for the Lion Volleyball team.

In the NAIA Tournament, the Lions won 5 games to get to the championship game against Azusa Pacific. After the Lady Cougars pounced on the Lions early in a 15-3 set, the Lions struck back with a 15-10 set win to tie the matchup at 1-1. The next set Azusa took advantage of another subpar set with a 15-2 set to take a 2-1 lead. In the final match, the Lions performed much better but in the end lost 15-10, giving APU the championship match 3 sets to 1.

Two Lion women were voted to the All-Tournament team. Marsha Morgan of Richardson, and Barbara Braxton of Denison. Staci Watkins of Wylie was selected to the All-Tournament second team, the first time any Lion Volleyball players were selected on the conference, regional, or national teams. Despite the loss in championship game, it was the start of perhaps the best decade for Lion Volleyball.

The team was coached by a Lion legend in Donna Tavener. Beloved not just by the University community but by all of Hunt County. Born in Bainbridge, Georgia, on September 1, 1952, she graduated from Whigham High School in 1970, and went on to pursue a career in education, earning her bachelor’s degree and Master of Education from Georgia Southwestern State University, and her Principal Education Certificate from East Texas State. She began her teaching career at Staley Junior High in Americus, Georgia, where she taught for three years before moving to Texas in 1977.

Tavener was hired to pioneer the women’s volleyball and tennis teams at East Texas State University where she spent the next six years coaching both sports. After starting a family, she entered the public-school sector as a chemistry teacher for the next 19 years. Fifteen of those were spent at Greenville High School and four more would follow with the Commerce ISD. She returned to Texas A&M University-Commerce in the fall of 2002 as a member of the education department mentoring students who would go on to become our future educators. Working full-time and then part-time, she retired from the university in 2020. Prior to and during retirement, Tavener was always cheering on the Lion athletes and attended most athletic events. Her former athletes and students continued to stay in close contact throughout the years. “An educator, mentor, and friend to all. Donna touched so many lives in the 40 plus years she spent in education.”

She was honored with various awards and accolades over the span of her career, both at the collegiate and high school levels. Named the Wilson NAIA Intercollegiate Coach of the Year in 1983; the E-Systems Hunt County Science Teacher of the Year; the Greenville ISD Key Communication Award; and in 2000, she was named Secondary Teacher of the Year for Commerce ISD. A special honor was bestowed upon her in 2012, when she was inducted into the Texas A&M University–Commerce Athletic Hall of Fame. After a battle with cancer she strongly and bravely fought, she passed away October 13, 2021 in Campbell. The first banner that a woman’s team sport can hang is because of her, and hopefully here in a couple of years, there will be a banner hanging prominently in the volleyball court at the yet to be named volleyball center.

East Texas State Lions Volleyball

1980 NAIA National Finalist