The 1996 volleyball team finally gets its Hall of Fame flowers, and it's about damn time. This is a squad that earned the hardware on the court, not just in the record books, and the recognition from WSU feels like the university catching up to what anyone who was in Bohannon Gym that season already knew. This team was the real deal, and this honor cements their place in a conversation that includes The 1985 Coug cross country team gets its Hall of Fame moment and The 1981 Cougs get their due with a Hall of Fame speech. Those teams also waited, and the pattern is clear: Pullman remembers, even when the official recognition takes its time.
Here is the thing about this 1996 team that matters most. They did not just win. They set a standard for what Cougar volleyball could be in an era when the program was still building its identity. We are not going to pretend we remember every single kill or set point from nearly thirty years ago, but the result of that work is still standing. They put a flag in the ground. And for Cougs who watched them, this is validation of a season that felt special in real time. For those of us who came later, it is a reminder that the foundation of the program was laid by women who did not get the spotlight they deserved the first time around.
The timing of this is interesting, too, because it comes alongside the recognition of other great Cougar teams from that same era. The 1985 cross country team and the 1981 squad both got their moments recently, and you can see the thread. Wazzu is doing the work to honor the history that made the place what it is. That matters. It matters for the athletes who are still around to hear their names called. It matters for the current players who see that the university will not forget them in thirty years. And it matters for us, the fans, because it keeps the stories alive. You cannot build a culture on box scores alone. You need the people.
The concrete takeaway here is simple: if you played for a Cougar team that you think deserves a second look, do not assume the university has forgotten you. The Hall of Fame is not just for the obvious national champions. It is for the teams that meant something to Pullman. The 1996 volleyball team is proof. Go Cougs.