2001 Women's Volleyball Team (2012) - Hall of Fame

2001 Women's Volleyball Team

Induction:
2012

The 2001 UNI volleyball squad posted a mark of 31-2 overall and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

UNI scored a pair of top-25 victories in the regular season with a triumph at No. 3 Wisconsin (30-22, 18-30, 31-29, 24-30, 15-13) and vs. No. 19 Notre Dame (26-30, 30-14, 30-16, 30-23).

The Panthers won the regular season Missouri Valley Conference title with a league mark of 17-1. UNI then went on to win the MVC tournament title with wins over Illinois State (30-13, 30-17, 30-23) and Missouri State (30-17, 25-30, 28-30, 31-29, 15-8).

UNI earned the right to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in the West Gym. UNI disposed of Northern Illinois in the first round with a 3-0 sweep (30-24, 30-25, 31-29), setting up a matchup with Minnesota for a shot to advance to the Sweet 16.

UNI dropped the first two sets 26-30 and 21-30. But the Panthers rallied behind a packed house in the West Gym and defeated the Golden Gophers for a thrilling 3-2 win by taking the final three sets 30-21, 30-19, 17-15.

UNI advanced to the Sweet 16 held in Long Beach, Calif., against No. 1-ranked Long Beach State. The Panthers fell in three games to the 49ers, 19-30, 21-30, 14-30.

Molly O'Brien was named the MVC Player of the Year. O'Brien was joined on the first-team all-MVC squad by Jill Arganbright, Kim Kester and Kim McCaffrey. McCaffrey and O'Brien each tallied AVCA All-District accolades as well. Head coach Bobbi Petersen earned AVCA District Coach of the Year honors.

Members of the 2001 UNI Volleyball Squad: Jill Arganbright, Michelle Burvee, Katie Epley, Steph Germann, Erin Hirsch, Kim Kester, Abby Lemek, Kim McCaffrey, Molly O'Brien, Rachel Tink, Shari Vermeer, Miranda Weber, Jessi Worrell

Head Coach: Bobbi Petersen
Assistant Coaches: Barb Randall and Mary Bernhardt
Volunteer Assistant: DeAnn Woodin
Student Assistants: Alex Auker, Maya Hirsch
Trainer: Dr. Matt Gage
Manager: Jared Penning