Cathy (Olson) George ’85 still has her name scattered all over school and conference record books, even though her playing days ended nearly four decades ago. You can’t tell ISU’s volleyball history without George, who is still the school record holder for kills per set (6.46) and points per set (7.67). She ranks second in career aces (233) and is fifth all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history in single-season service aces with 95. George helped the Redbirds to a pair of conference titles and three-straight NCAA tournament appearances from 1982-1984. She was inducted into the ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame in 2019.
Appears InIt’s also difficult to tell NCAA Division I volleyball’s story without George. She became the first female head coach to ever lead her team to the Final Four when she guided the University of Texas-Arlington to a third-place finish in 1989. She has been the coach at Michigan State University since 2005, leading the Spartans to 10 NCAA tournament appearances. She is 15th among active Division I coaches with 653 career wins. She has the most wins in Michigan State’s program history. George previously served as head coach at North Dakota State, University of Texas-Arlington, and Western Michigan. She has been to 15 total NCAA tournaments.
