The winningest coach across all sports in McMurry Athletics history, as well as a Class of 2006 McMurry Hall of Honor Inductee, Cammie Petree is a household name in the McMurry and NCAA Volleyball community.
Petree completed her
27th season leading the McMurry volleyball program in Fall 2022. Her tenure at McMurry has come in three different terms. She began her career with two seasons as head coach from 1983-84, then returned for 10 seasons from 1996-2005. She then regained the reins in April 2008.
Petree owns a
477-304 career record and is the only coach in McMurry Athletics history to surpass the 450 win milestone in any sport.
A pair of wins over crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons University on March 9, 2021 made Petree the winningest coach in school history. With the first win of the doubleheader, Petree joined legendary men's basketball coach Hershel Kimbrell as the only two coaches to achieve 448 career wins in any sport at McMurry. The second win brought overwhelming emotion over Kimbrell Arena, as Petree broke the record.
In 2012, Petree brought an NCCAA National Championship to McMurry as it was in transition from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division II. For her efforts, Petree was honored as the "National Coach of the Year" by both the NCCAA and the AVCA. Furthermore, Petree had an unprecedented 17 straight winning seasons as the program's head coach, divided over two stints from 2001-2021.
In Spring 2021, McMurry compiled a 13-5 overall record and a 12-4 mark in conference play, winning seven of its eight home games. The War Hawks earned its signature win on March 20 with a 3-0 sweep of No. 9 Mary Hardin-Baylor and appeared in the American Southwest Conference Championship Semifinal Round, falling to UMHB who went on to win the championship in the final. In the fall, McMurry completed a challenging season with a 9-12 record. Although the winning season streak was snapped, the War Hawks swept the season series against both its local rivals, Hardin-Simmons and Howard Payne.
The War Hawks put together their 13th straight winning season in 2019, going 18-10 overall and 8-7 in the ASC. McM once again qualified for the ASC Tournament, and had six players earn All-ASC honors, including two on the first team. Senior Justice McGowan finished her career as McM's all-time attack percentage leader. McMurry achieved its 10th 20-win season in 2018, posting a 24-7, 11-4 ASC mark and reaching the ASC Tournament semifinals. Five players earned All-ASC accolades, while six earned Academic All-ASC honors.
In 2017, the War Hawks were 24-10 and 11-5 in the American Southwest Conference West Division, good for second place. McM made a sixth-consecutive appearance in the NCCAA regionals and advanced to the NCCAA national tournament. Justice McGowan was a first team All-ASC pick and the NCCAA regional Player of the Year. Petree was the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year, as well. McGowan and Odalis Rodriguez were both NCCAA All-Americans.
The 2016 War Hawks returned to the ASC race for the first time since the 2011 campaign, going 8-6 and placing third in the West Division. McM was 20-12 overall. Senior Katy Headrick earned the NCCAA's Hellings Award as the nation's top player (McMurry's second player so honored) and Justice McGowan was the ASC West "Freshman of the Year". Both earned All-ASC and West Division first team honors, as well. The 2015 campaign saw the War Hawks go 19-11 overall. Catherine Heath was a first team NCCAA All-American, the second all-America honor of her career. The team won 10 matches in consecutive sets.
In 2014, McM returned to NCAA III and - playing an independent schedule - went 21-13. The War Hawks made a third-consecutive appearance in the NCCAA national tournament. Heath was a second team NCCAA All-American. 2013 saw the McM team go 19-18, winning its second-consecutive NCCAA Central Region title and advance to the national championship tournament. Senior Peyton Evans was named as a second team NCCAA All-American for the second year in a row. Petree earned career coaching victory #300 on September 13 versus Western State Colorado University. Petree was also awarded one of the highest annual honors bestowed by the NCCAA, when she was the recipient of its "Game Plan 4 Life Character Award."
In 2012, the team produced another 25-win season (25-10) and it proved to be a banner year - literally and figuratively! Because the school was transitioning into NCAA II in 2012, it was not eligible to compete in the Heartland tournament (McM would have placed fourth in the regular season standings) and, instead, participated in the NCCAA championships. Petree's troops breezed through the NCCAA regional tournament by going 4-0 and dropped just two sets. In the national tournament, the War Hawks won their first two matches, before suffering a loss in their third. With its back against the wall in the double-elimination event, McMurry reeled off three straight wins to claim the NCCAA national championship. In addition to her National Coach of the Year honors, Petree was also the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. Junior transfer Peyton Evans and senior M.J. Vickers were both NCCAA All-Americans and All-Heartland Conference selections. Vickers also won the NCCAA's Susan R. Hellings Award, which combined athletics, academics, Christian character and leadership.
While the War Hawks were in the American Southwest Conference (pre-2012), Petree coached 31 all-conference players and 44 academic all-conference selections. In addition, in 2008, she saw her first player ever earn all-America honors when Terah Brown was an honorable mention AVCA all-American. Vickers was honored with the same award after the 2011 season. Under Petree's direction in the ASC, McMurry won the ASC title in 1997 where her squad was a perfect 12-0 in conference play. After that, McMurry won also won ASC West Division titles in 1998, 2002 and 2011.
In 2011, the team's final season as an NCAA Division III program, Petree's charges compiled a record of 28-5 record and again won the ASC West. The War Hawks lost to perennial rival Hardin-Simmons in the ASC tournament finale, after reaching the ASC tourney semifinals for a fifth-consecutive season. Petree and assistant Danielle Robarts were tabbed as the ASC "Coaching Staff of the Year." This was the fourth lead award for Petree, as she was also named "Coach of the Year" in 1997, 1999 and 2001. In 2010, McM was 17-10 and again reached the ASC semi-final round. Jasmine Qualls was the ASC West "Freshman of the Year," while Brown and Vickers repeated as first team all-ASC. In 2009, she guided the club to an ASC semi-finals appearance. She coached first-team selections Brown and Vickers, while recruiting the ASC Newcomer of the Year in transfer Bailey Marcum. In 2008, Petree reached a milestone win by picking up No. 200 in Round Rock against Concordia-Texas Sept. 21. The team went on to finish 19-8 and before East Texas Baptist ousted them in the first round of the ASC Postseason Tournament.
Petree had originally left the program following in the spring of 2006 to spend more time with her family. However, she said that it was her family that aided in her decision to return to her alma mater. She was a three-sport letterman at McMurry in basketball, track and volleyball. As a volleyball player she was a four-time all-conference selection and was named NAIA all-region. She graduated in 1983 and is a member of McMurry’s Athletic Hall of Honor, inducted in 2006 as a player and coach.
Petree has two children: Megan and Austin. She and her husband, Richard, live in View.
WATCH: "A Walk With The War Hawks" - Cammie Petree
