Missouri State head volleyball coach Melissa Stokes plays the drums during a practice at the Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championships in Normal, Illinois. Video courtesy of the Missouri Valley Conference
When Bears head volleyball coach Melissa Stokes was in the third grade, she had the opportunity to choose an instrument that interested her the most.
She picked the drums, and in return, she was given free drum lessons for a month.
She fell in love with it.
So when the Class of 2017 Missouri Sports Hall of Famer moved to Springfield to take the job at then-Southwest Missouri State, she bought a drum set.