With their first alumni game on October 4, 2002, the RU volleyball program initiated a campaign to endow a scholarship for a Highlander volleyball player and to commemorate the enormous contributions of Janell Dobbins.

The First Annual Alumni Game included those who love RU volleyball and love Janell Dobbins, according to coach Chad Callihan. Former players, current players, families and friends came together to enjoy the game and a post-game dinner at which over $10,000 was donated to start the Janell Dobbins Scholarship on its way to its $100,000 goal.

“Without Janell, we wouldn’t be here,” said Callihan. “She established the tradition that we are trying to continue today.”

A 1955 Radford graduate, Dobbins is a popular and familiar figure in Highlander athletics. She served 19 years as Radford's volleyball coach before retiring in 1993 as the school's winningest coach in any sport. Her teams were 369-219, growing from an unaffiliated small college team in 1971 to an NCAA Division I Tournament participant her final season. A Radford native, she built RU volleyball into an NCAA Division II power in the early 1980s,“retired” for three seasons, and then returned to coach the team to two Division I Big South Conference titles in the 1990s.

Callihan said that plans are underway for the 2003 alumni game early and that the alumni game will be an important part of Highlander volleyball seasons to come.

Tom Lillard, executive director of the Highlander Club said, “This is a great example of the way a program can come together to enhance the University’s fund-raising efforts and build its own sense of community.”