Chants Remain Connected 30 Years After Winning Program's First Title
10/16/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
CONWAY, S.C. – Winning the 1996 Big South Conference volleyball championship gave Coastal Carolina's players a reason to celebrate. Thirty years later, that season is bringing them back together.
Team members will return to Coastal for a weekend celebration that includes recognition during Saturday's match against Marshall at the HTC Center, honoring the program's first Big South championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
"At the time, we were just a group of college girls playing volleyball, competing, and making memories together," Colette Pawlyk Jurman said. "We probably didn't fully understand what that championship would mean 30 years later."
The players remember long bus rides, locker-room dance parties and friendships that continued through weddings, growing families and years between visits.
"We were just a group of girls from all over the world, connected by a sport we loved," Amy Bambenek said. "And we chose to push through adversity together, not realizing the impact it still has on our lives 30 years later."
Bambenek counts making warm-up tapes and dancing in the locker room among her favorite college experiences. On road trips, Jurman's video camera captured homemade commercials and interviews with teammates.
"We pushed each other to be better on the court, but we also knew how to have fun and we definitely danced a lot," Jurman said. "That's what made our group so special."
For Wendy Kutz Redner, the bus rides and time spent together away from volleyball helped bring the team closer. Emma Prowse Bedbrook credits demanding practices with preparing the players for competition and teaching them to support one another.
"We were all super competitive and as the season progressed, we really started to work as a team and understand how each other played," Bedbrook said.
"We were always locked in. I never saw my teammates get rattled," Jurman said. "No matter what happened, we focused on the next play."
Coastal won all nine sets in its Big South tournament run in Baltimore, sweeping Charleston Southern and Liberty before defeating host UMBC 15-13, 15-8, 15-7 in the final.
Bambenek recorded 15 kills and 25 digs in the championship match. Bedbrook added 12 kills and six blocks, while Jurman finished with 47 assists and 15 digs. Conference player of the year Roberta Croteau earned tournament MVP honors.
"I don't think we ever talked about winning it all. That would have been a huge jinx!" Jurman said. "Honestly, I don't think winning the championship really hit us until that final point went down and we realized we had done it."
Afterward, Kari Jackson-Caraker and her teammates sang Queen's "We Are the Champions" onstage.
"We sounded terrible! But we didn't care!" Jackson-Caraker said. "We had just won the championship!"
As the players sat in a circle stretching after the championship, someone called out, "Hey guys, banner in the big gym!"
"I guess when you're 20 years old, having a banner hanging in the gym is a pretty big deal," Jurman said. "It's funny the things you remember 30 years later."
For Redner, the NCAA postseason stands out: watching the team get selected on television, winning a home play-in match and facing Georgia Tech in the first round. The play-in match fell over Thanksgiving break, giving the teammates another occasion to spend together.
Bambenek's appreciation for that season includes knowing how close she came to leaving volleyball. As a sophomore, she was far from home and struggling with the demands of playing. Her coach gave her a week off to consider whether she wanted to continue.
"I decided to play for myself, my teammates and for the love of the game rather than trying to win my coach's approval," Bambenek said. "I'm so glad I stuck it out when things got tough.
"The relationship I have with my college teammates as an adult is unlike any other friendship."
Bambenek and Jurman became friends at their first practice. As a hitter and setter, they developed an understanding that sometimes made calling for a set unnecessary. Jurman could see Bambenek was ready for a faster ball and put it where she needed it.
Thirty years later, they and their former teammates still turn to one another. They have celebrated weddings, shared advice about raising children and supported each other through difficult times.
"We started as teammates, but we became lifelong friends, and I feel so fortunate that those relationships have lasted 30 years," Jurman said.
Bedbrook, who arrived from Australia at 19, appreciates the opportunity she had to play at Coastal. As the team celebrates its championship, she also wants to recognize those who contributed to the program before and after 1996.
"I think you also have to acknowledge the players and coaches before this team and definitely after," Bedbrook said. "Everyone's part of it."
Saturday will mark Redner's first visit to campus in almost 17 years. She is looking forward to seeing how Coastal has grown and catching up with her teammates.
Jackson-Caraker, who remained in Myrtle Beach after graduation, is especially looking forward to seeing her former roommates, Bedbrook and Jurman.
"The nice thing about this group is that when we see each other, we pick up right where we left off!" she said.
The championship remains a source of pride for Jurman three decades later.
"I'm happy to see that banner still up in the new HTC Center," Jurman said. "It's a reminder of what we accomplished together and that we'll always be part of Coastal's history."
Team members will return to Coastal for a weekend celebration that includes recognition during Saturday's match against Marshall at the HTC Center, honoring the program's first Big South championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
"At the time, we were just a group of college girls playing volleyball, competing, and making memories together," Colette Pawlyk Jurman said. "We probably didn't fully understand what that championship would mean 30 years later."
The players remember long bus rides, locker-room dance parties and friendships that continued through weddings, growing families and years between visits.
"We were just a group of girls from all over the world, connected by a sport we loved," Amy Bambenek said. "And we chose to push through adversity together, not realizing the impact it still has on our lives 30 years later."
Bambenek counts making warm-up tapes and dancing in the locker room among her favorite college experiences. On road trips, Jurman's video camera captured homemade commercials and interviews with teammates.
"We pushed each other to be better on the court, but we also knew how to have fun and we definitely danced a lot," Jurman said. "That's what made our group so special."
For Wendy Kutz Redner, the bus rides and time spent together away from volleyball helped bring the team closer. Emma Prowse Bedbrook credits demanding practices with preparing the players for competition and teaching them to support one another.
"We were all super competitive and as the season progressed, we really started to work as a team and understand how each other played," Bedbrook said.
"We were always locked in. I never saw my teammates get rattled," Jurman said. "No matter what happened, we focused on the next play."
Coastal won all nine sets in its Big South tournament run in Baltimore, sweeping Charleston Southern and Liberty before defeating host UMBC 15-13, 15-8, 15-7 in the final.
Bambenek recorded 15 kills and 25 digs in the championship match. Bedbrook added 12 kills and six blocks, while Jurman finished with 47 assists and 15 digs. Conference player of the year Roberta Croteau earned tournament MVP honors.
"I don't think we ever talked about winning it all. That would have been a huge jinx!" Jurman said. "Honestly, I don't think winning the championship really hit us until that final point went down and we realized we had done it."
Afterward, Kari Jackson-Caraker and her teammates sang Queen's "We Are the Champions" onstage.
"We sounded terrible! But we didn't care!" Jackson-Caraker said. "We had just won the championship!"
As the players sat in a circle stretching after the championship, someone called out, "Hey guys, banner in the big gym!"
"I guess when you're 20 years old, having a banner hanging in the gym is a pretty big deal," Jurman said. "It's funny the things you remember 30 years later."
For Redner, the NCAA postseason stands out: watching the team get selected on television, winning a home play-in match and facing Georgia Tech in the first round. The play-in match fell over Thanksgiving break, giving the teammates another occasion to spend together.
Bambenek's appreciation for that season includes knowing how close she came to leaving volleyball. As a sophomore, she was far from home and struggling with the demands of playing. Her coach gave her a week off to consider whether she wanted to continue.
"I decided to play for myself, my teammates and for the love of the game rather than trying to win my coach's approval," Bambenek said. "I'm so glad I stuck it out when things got tough.
"The relationship I have with my college teammates as an adult is unlike any other friendship."
Bambenek and Jurman became friends at their first practice. As a hitter and setter, they developed an understanding that sometimes made calling for a set unnecessary. Jurman could see Bambenek was ready for a faster ball and put it where she needed it.
Thirty years later, they and their former teammates still turn to one another. They have celebrated weddings, shared advice about raising children and supported each other through difficult times.
"We started as teammates, but we became lifelong friends, and I feel so fortunate that those relationships have lasted 30 years," Jurman said.
Bedbrook, who arrived from Australia at 19, appreciates the opportunity she had to play at Coastal. As the team celebrates its championship, she also wants to recognize those who contributed to the program before and after 1996.
"I think you also have to acknowledge the players and coaches before this team and definitely after," Bedbrook said. "Everyone's part of it."
Saturday will mark Redner's first visit to campus in almost 17 years. She is looking forward to seeing how Coastal has grown and catching up with her teammates.
Jackson-Caraker, who remained in Myrtle Beach after graduation, is especially looking forward to seeing her former roommates, Bedbrook and Jurman.
"The nice thing about this group is that when we see each other, we pick up right where we left off!" she said.
The championship remains a source of pride for Jurman three decades later.
"I'm happy to see that banner still up in the new HTC Center," Jurman said. "It's a reminder of what we accomplished together and that we'll always be part of Coastal's history."
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