St. Joe’s volleyball coach, Mrs. Katie Richardson, was named the Missouri class 4A volleyball “coach of the year.” She received her award on February 22nd at the Missouri Coaches Association Clinic. This award is not her only big win of this year, as she coached the St. Joe Varsity volleyball team to a state championship in 2017. From winning the state championship last year, Mrs. Richardson has become the first coach at St. Joe to win a state championship as a coach and as a player.

Mrs. Richardson played volleyball throughout her high school career under the current St. Joe Vice Principal Karen Davis. When she was a junior, Richardson’s volleyball team took second in state, and went on to win state her senior year in 1998.

In 2015, Mrs. Richardson became the head coach of the varsity volleyball team after Ms. Davis stepped down. Her transition to head coach went smoothly as she was the assistant under Davis for seven years prior. In addition to coaching, Mrs. Richardson takes on the roles of an English teacher at St. Joe and a mother of two.

Before stepping down, Ms. Davis left a big impact on the volleyball community. Katie Richardson, though, is following in her same footsteps. With her commitment to the team, Mrs. Richardson has become an indispensable asset to the volleyball program at St. Joe and her players.

Mrs. Richardson always encourages her players to strive for the best they can be, team manager and freshman Gabbie Noonan said.

“As a volleyball player who wasn’t able to play, I felt discouraged. Mrs. Richardson allowed me to still be part of the team for I am forever grateful for that,” Noonan said.Her presence on the court and off the court meant a lot to everyone, she always pushes everyone to be their best selves.”

Mrs. Katie Richardson will continue to coach the St. Joe volleyball team with the same hard-work and commitment and hopefully will see many more state championship in the coming years.