Faithful Over Time

Long before she built a program, Tracie Gillette was a student-athlete who simply said yes.

In 1994, she arrived from Sheridan, Wyoming, drawn by volleyball and a Christian college. She did not come with a long-term plan. What followed was something quieter and stronger. A calling that took shape over time.

“I think it was a God thing,” Gillette said. “He’s definitely laid out this path.”

Now entering her 17th season as head coach, her story is tied closely to OKWU. Not just as a leader, but as someone who returned when she sensed it was time.

After building a successful high school program in Bartlesville, the opportunity to come back gave her pause.

“If you don’t know how to coach college, you don’t know,” she said.

But the hesitation did not last. Over time, her confidence grew, and so did her clarity.

The early years were not defined by trophies. They were defined by learning. By balancing practices, recruiting, and raising three children. By trusting that she was where she needed to be.

“That was a God thing,” she said. “I knew this was where I needed to be.” What took shape was not just a team, but a culture.

“Students don’t look at your wins,” she said. “They look at how you’re leading.”

That belief has shaped OKWU volleyball. The goal has never stopped at performance. It has always reached toward formation. Growth in faith. Growth in character. Growth that lasts beyond a season.

The wins came. A long-awaited conference title in 2023. Then two more in 2024 and 2025, with the added joy of coaching her own daughter along the way. But even those moments sit in their proper place.

“It’s so much more than winning,” she said. “Are you seeing growth in these girls’ lives? That’s what matters.”

Now the program stands on steady ground. New opportunities are ahead, including men’s and beach volleyball. Expansion is coming, but the foundation is already set.

“I want this to be a program that puts God first,” she said. “Let His light shine through.”

That legacy is not measured in banners.

It shows up in former players. In the way they lead. In the way they live.

And it traces back to a coach who kept saying yes—year after year, season after season—trusting that faithfulness over time would become something that lasts.