WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Officials at Missouri State University-West Plains inducted former Grizzly Volleyball standout Jekaterina “Kate” Stepanova (2008-10) to the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame during the Grizzly Volleyball team’s home opener Friday evening, Sept. 9, at the West Plains Civic Center.
In addition to numerous fans, several of Stepanova’s former teammates were on hand for the ceremony, which took place between the second and third sets of the game. A “meet-and-greet” reception for Stepanova was held immediate after the game in the civic center Dogwood Room.
“It was wonderful having Kate back in West Plains for her hall of fame induction,” Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann said. “This place means a lot to her. Her love for Grizzly Volleyball, her teammates and her numerous friends is obvious when you hear her talk about her time here. There were friendships and memories made that will last a lifetime.”
Stepanova, a 6-foot, 2-inch outside attacker from Riga, Latvia, lit up the civic center arena and other courts across the nation with her massive swings and love for the game when she arrived at Missouri State-West Plains in fall 2008, and she became one of the program’s premiere players. A complete player who could score a wealth of points, she pounded her way to multiple all-tournament team and tournament MVP awards throughout her career, and she was one of the steady, go-to players who could be counted on to make plays when needed.
The close bond between her and her teammates made the 2008 and 2009 Grizzly teams two of the best in program history. With her teammates, she helped guide the 2008 team to a 38-10 record, its 10th consecutive NJCAA Region 16 Championship and a seventh place finish in the NJCAA national tournament. The following season, she helped guide the 2009 team to a 27-9 record, its 11th consecutive Region 16 championship and a second place finish at nationals.
In addition to the team accolades, Kate earned several individual awards, including all-tournament team honors in the 2009 national tournament and NJCAA All-American honors both seasons, as a second team honoree in 2008 and first team honoree in 2009. She also earned first team All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) in 2009.
She made her mark in the Grizzly record books, as well. She is second in career attack attempts (2,584), fourth in career kills (1,127), fifth in career points earned (1,347) and career attacking percentage (.327) and seventh in career digs (999).
Stepanova graduated from Missouri State-West Plains in May 2010 with an Associate of Arts in General Studies degree and transferred to Florida State University where she helped guide her team to the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) volleyball championship and a final four appearance in the 2011 NCAA Volleyball Championship Tournament. Individual honors also came her way; she was named an AVCA second team All-American, a Volleyball Magazine second team All-American and an All-ACC Team member, to name a few. In addition, she competed on Florida State’s inaugural sand volleyball team in spring 2012 and helped the team take third in the national championship, and she reached the national semifinals in the pairs competition, earning All-American honors.
She received a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Florida State in May 2012 and transferred to Florida International University where she played on the sand volleyball team in 2013, helping guide it to a 43-6 record and a third place finish at the Collegiate Sand Volleyball National Tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama. She was part of history when her team won the first collegiate sand volleyball match, defeating University of Alabama-Birmingham 5-0 on March 3, 2013. She was named to the AVCA’s Collegiate Sand Volleyball All-American Team in 2013 and was her team’s MVP. In December 2013, she graduated from Florida International with a Master of Science in Recreation and Sports Management and just recently completed her professional volleyball career.
“I am very excited and humbled to be inducted to the Missouri State-West Plains Grizzly Athletics Hall of Fame,” she said. “Having been a student here for two years, I can say that I never believed that six years later I would be standing here to receive an award and be honored like this. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who took part in selecting and recognizing me for this award.
“Let me start by telling you that it was not an individual effort that brought me here to this stage tonight,” she continued. “Numerous people have supported me along the way. I would like to especially recognize my coaching staff, who realized my talent and found ways to push me beyond my limits to become the player and person I am today.
“Receiving this award would not have been possible without my teammates, for whom I have the deepest respect to this day. I also was privileged to have amazing college professors and tutors who devoted their free time to help me along the way in my first years in America. Their encouragement and guidance helped make me the person I am today. I also want to say a special thanks to my amazing host family, Cottie and Darlene, as well as the Campbell family and all of my friends who continue to support me. And finally, I sincerely want to thank the town of West Plains for having such an amazing, supportive community. I am beyond grateful to receive this award and be a member of the hall of fame. Go Grizzlies!,” she said.
This is the 14th year of the Grizzly Athletics Hall of Fame. Grizzly Hall of Fame Selection Committee members include Chairman Russ Gant, Grizzly Booster Club Past-President Russ Squires, Booster Club members John Williams and Chuck Kimberlin, and Missouri State-West Plains Dean of Student Services Dr. Angela Totty and Director of Development Joe Kammerer.