History of Gunter Lady Tiger Volleyball

Work hard, play hard, and leave a legacy…

The history of Gunter Lady Tiger Volleyball has been gaining momentum since it first began in 1999. With six previous head coaches, winning streaks every year, and qualifications for playoffs, the Lady Tigers have continued to build a local volleyball powerhouse.

The Beginning of Gunter Volleyball

The first head coach to start the volleyball program in Gunter was Coach Judy Roos. Roos coached for three years in Gunter: 1999, 2000, and 2001. She had much success and led her team to the Regional Quarterfinals in 2001. Their biggest rival at the time was Van Alstyne. Roos tells us, “My favorite memory of coaching in Gunter was making the playoffs when no one thought we were going to be successful because Gunter was such a basketball town at the time. The team worked hard over the summer to try to get better and prepare for the season.” An interesting fact about Coach Roos is that one year when she was coaching in Gunter, she went to coach a playoff game on Monday, gave birth to twins on Tuesday, and returned on Thursday to coach another playoff game! This shows the dedication that Roos taught her players while she was coaching.

Coaches to Remember!

After Roos kicked off the volleyball program, Gunter was lucky to have many more incredible coaches! Buffy Bing coached from 2002 to 2003, followed by Danny Stone who coached from 2004 to 2007, Sheila Winter who coached in 2008, and Keva Reed who coached from 2009 to 2011 with her top players Joey Bailey, Harlee Johnson, and Morgan Watson who helped her achieve an overall record of 93-24 while she was at Gunter.

Making History…

Current Head Coach Tonya Watson helped lead to a turn of events for Gunter volleyball when the first year she was head coach, her team made history and went to the fourth round of playoffs! They defeated Pottsboro in Bi-District,  Maypearl in Area, Pilot Point in the Regional Qualifying round, and lost to Commerce in the Regional Semi-Finals. In 2013 and 2014, the team made it to the second round of playoffs only to be defeated by Brock. In 2014, they held a record of 36-5 and placed first in two tournaments. Watson proudly states, “One reason I like being a volleyball coach is because I like to see the kids improve at the sport they love.” Some notable alumni that have passed through Gunter include: Rebecca Nelson, Shanna Harrison, Harlee Johnson, Joey Bailey, Morgan Watson, and Casey Hicks.

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