DENVER – MSU Denver has for decades been a leader in providing equal opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics.
 
Today is the 16th installment of a 52-part tribute by Roadrunners Athletics to pioneers and leaders in intercollegiate athletics at MSU Denver.

Each Thursday, a key female figure in Roadrunners athletics history will be recognized.
 
Today, legendary volleyball coach Debbie Hendricks is featured.
 
After a career that included leading West Texas A&M to a national championship, Hendricks started MSU Denver's streak of consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament immediately after taking the reins of the already highly-successful program in 2000, leading the Roadrunners to the postseason in all 16 years as a head coach.

She compiled a 16-year record of 353-148 for a winning percentage of .704, and against RMAC competition she won at an astounding .800 clip (240-60) in regular-season play. She led the Roadrunners to three regular-season championships and six RMAC Tournament championships, including both championships from 2001 through 2003 while going 54-3 in regular-season RMAC play. Her 2002 team peaked at No. 2 in the national rankings.

The 2001 through 2003 teams went a combined 82-17, including three straight 18-1 RMAC regular season championships and three straight RMAC Tournament championships. 

She was a three-time RMAC coach of the year. She coached 11 players who earned All-America honors at total of 15 times, and had a player named all-region first team 24 times and All-RMAC first team 27 times. She coached three RMAC players of the year, two RMAC setters of the year, four RMAC defensive players of the year and three RMAC freshmen of the year and had two players named to the RMAC's all-time team.
 
She was inducted into the MSU Denver Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.

Title IX, the groundbreaking law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at schools that receive funding from the federal government, went into effect just over 50 years ago – on June 23, 1972.