by Livvi Anderson
The state of Illinois is littered with rural towns featuring populations of 2,000 residents or less. Mt. Pulaski, which sits between Springfield and Decatur roughly 30 miles from each, doesn’t look materially different than many of the other towns its size, but the Central Illinois community boasts a high school volleyball program with a decorated history.
This powerhouse program was built from the ground up by the dedication of its coaches and players. Players like Tina Rogers-Smith. 
Tina Rogers-Smith played volleyball at Mt. Pulaski during two of the Lady Hilltoppers best seasons, 1988 and 1989. The Hilltoppers dominated Illinois, losing just one game total during her junior and senior seasons, while collecting two state appearances and one championship along the way.
After growing up in the Elkart-Mt. Pulaski co-op, Tina began playing for the Lady Hilltoppers her freshman year, “I was kind of part of the whole beginning of the grassroots movement. I'm gonna say probably a year and two years before me… it was in the beginning when things were really becoming great.”
The rise of Mt. Pulaski coincided with legendary coach Donna Dulle, who arrived in 1981 and led the school to four Regional titles and a pair of Sectional crowns prior to the school’s first state appearance in 1988.
Over time, the Lady Hilltoppers list of accomplishments grew to include a second state championship (2007) and 14 state tournament appearances. Dulle would go on to win 1,189 games in her career, second-most in state history. All of it started with the “grassroots” movements in the 1980’s that began to really make the Hilltoppers stand out.
Mt. Pulaski traveled around Illinois to face tougher competition in hopes of developing a team that could compete for a state title every season. Despite playing in Class A in the IHSA’s two-class system (1977-2006), and then Class 1A when the IHSA expanded to four classes in 2007, it is not uncommon for Mt. Pulaski to appear on the schedule of state final teams in Class 3A and Class 4A. On that note, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Class AA state title team in 2003 lost just two matches, including a three-set match against the Lady Hilltoppers.
Tina Rogers-Smith (below right) remembers those early years, “every single player on the opposing team would have been as good as or better than our team, but we found a way to win… they didn't see us coming and those are the moments as a team when you get back on the bus that you feel validation for all the work you did and nobody really thought we could do it.” Validation they got. Sometimes winning matches in as few as 15 minutes.
Despite the small high school enrollment and town size, Tina fondly recalled large crowds and overwhelming support. The fans included classmates, parents, and community members that caravaned throughout the state to support the volleyball program and showcase their pride for Mt. Pulaski: “Everybody was really a part of all the wins including our fans and the other kids in our school. I mean everybody really got behind us, and yeah, it was just a great feeling.”
Through the support of their coaches, fans, and their own hard work, Mt. Pulaski's wins didn’t stop. When asked about the culture of the team, Tina reflected, “I think that everybody having the same focus, the same purpose and the same drive is what made a small school like us… so successful.”
Mt. Pulaski has sent many players to the collegiate level through the years, including Tina Rogers-Smith (University of Illinois), but Tina was quick to point out the importance of the team’s collective chemistry over sheer talent.
“We really cared about winning. We were competitive. There may have been girls that didn't get as much of the attention, but that they were scrappy and played hard and maybe they didn't get all the playing time. But when they got their playing time, they understood their role, and they owned it, and I just think that that's what made us such a great unit. If somebody was having an off night, somebody else just managed to step in and have a great night. I think creating that competitive nature made a difference, and that every single person on our team, we all wanted to win.”
Mt. Pulaski’s 40-1 and 43-0 records from the 1988-89 seasons speak for itself, but according to Tina, it takes more than just good coaching or talent. It takes a true unified team on a mission to establish a lasting legacy.
This story is a part of the IHSA celebration of the first 50 years of the IHSA Girls Volleyball State Series. Click here for more on the Top 50 programs during the first 50 years.