Ellie Blankenship Reagan (2016) - Hall of Fame

Ellie Blankenship Reagan

Induction:
2016
Class:
2011

Ellie (Blankenship) Reagan – Volleyball (2007-2010)

Merlin Taylor Academic Hall of Fame Award

Ellie Blankenship had a storied volleyball career for the Panthers. As a two-time AVCA All-American, she led UNI to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, a No. 10 national ranking, set (and re-set) the UNI digs record, won the first-ever Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, and became just the eighth player in Division I history to record more than 2,500 career digs, ranking No. 7 all-time on the NCAA Division I digs list with 2,656.

Blankenship came to the Panthers via Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School, where she earned eight letters in three sports, volleyball (3), tennis (3) and basketball (2) while maintaining a four-year honor roll status. She earned first-team all-conference and second-team all-state honors in volleyball as a senior, and played in the IGCA Senior All-Star Volleyball Classic. In tennis, she helped leader her to team state runner up in 2004 and 2006 and state champion in 2007.

As a true freshman, she became the first Panther player to eclipse the 600-dig mark with 624 in 2007. Blankenship tallied 32 digs in just her third collegiate match vs. Kentucky on Aug. 25 and continued to rack up double-figure digs in all 33 matches of the season. She earned a spot on the MVC All-Freshman team after averaging 5.43 assists per set. Named MVC Freshman of the Week Nov. 12; her 25 digs against Evansville (Nov. 9) tied a UNI record for the most digs ever by a Panther player in a three-game match. She finished second on the team in service aces with 23. She helped UNI to a 22-11 overall record. The Panthers won the MVC Tournament and played No. 8-ranked Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

As a sophomore, Blankenship earned second-team all-MVC honors as the Panthers went 25-9. Blankenship upped her own UNI records set as a freshman with 676 digs (5.59 digs/set). She became the first UNI player to reach 1,000 digs before their junior season. Her 5.59 digs per set average ranked 7th nationally and led the MVC. She was twice named State Farm MVC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 8 and Oct. 27) and was also named to the UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team. The Panthers again reached the post-season NCAA Tournament and took on the Iowa State Cyclones in Minneapolis, Minn., in a first-round matchup.

As a junior in 2009, Blankenship earned honorable mention AVCA All-America honors after re-setting the season digs marks with 698 total digs (5.82 digs/set), now owning the UNI record for career digs, digs per set in a career and digs per set in a season. She was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week three times (Aug. 31, Sept. 8 and Sept. 21). Leading the MVC in digs while also ranking fourth in service aces (38), Blankenship was named to the first-team all-MVC squad for the first time in her career. She also earned a spot on the MVC All-Tournament team, while helping lead UNI to a tournament title. UNI scored a 3-0 win over Washington State in its first round NCAA Tournament match in Lincoln, Neb. The Panther’s season came to an end against No. 7-ranked Nebraska in the NCAA second round. At the conclusion of her junior season, Blankenship was selected as one of 24 collegiate athletes by USA Volleyball to participate in the U.S. Women’s national A2 program. She helped her squad take a bronze medal at the USA Volleyball Open Championships.

As a third-team AVCA All-American in 2010, Blankenship helped UNI cap its second straight 18-0 mark in MVC play while leading her team to a No. 10 national ranking and 4th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. The Panthers also reached 30 wins for the second straight season. Blankenship was named the Libero of the Year in the MVC and became the eighth player in Division I history to record more than 2,500 career digs. UNI won the MVC Tournament in the friendly confines of the McLeod Center. Blankenship dominated the action in the MVC Tournament and was named the tournament MVP. UNI dropped a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup with Missouri in the McLeod Center.

Blankenship ranks No. 7 all-time on the NCAA Division I digs list with 2,656 career digs. She also holds the record as a nine-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week honoree.

At the conclusion of her senior season, Blankenship was awarded the first-ever Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the sport of women’s volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a NCAA Division I senior and winners are chosen based on qualities that define a complete student-athlete; someone who excels both on and off the court, and has notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Blankenship graduated with a degree in MIS (Management Information Systems) and a minor in finance. She was a leader with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), Co-Vice President of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) and member of the Management Information Systems Association on campus. She volunteered with the Humane Society, Lutheran Home, Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, Relay for Life, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, City of Cedar Falls, Little Panther Club, and NCAA Just Read! Program.
Upon completion of her collegiate career, Ellie spent January-April of 2011 training with the USA Volleyball Women’s National Team in Anaheim, California. She was invited amongst a select group of athletes to train, develop and compete with USA Volleyball under head coaches Hugh McCutcheon and Karch Kiraly.

Blankenship continued on to sign professionally with Austrian First-League team VC-Tirol for the 2011-2012 season. As an outside hitter, she helped lead the team to a regular season second-place finish, top-four playoff finish in the Austrian Bundesliga (First-League), 2012 European CEV Challenge Cup series, and 2013 CEV Challenge Cup qualification before returning to the USA the summer of 2012 to marry long-time boyfriend and former UNI football athlete, Tyler Reagan.

Ellie and her husband, Tyler, reside in Denver, Colorado, where she is employed as a Lead Systems Analyst, while also maintaining a personal training license and coaching outdoor boot camps through Camp Gladiator. Ellie and Tyler play an active role with Mosaic church in Denver, and enjoy the many year-round activities Colorado has to offer. The couple welcomed their first child, a son (William Cooper Reagan) on July 10.