Kim (Kester) Tierney (2016) - Hall of Fame

Kim (Kester) Tierney

Induction:
2016
Class:
2003

Kim (Kester) Tierney – Volleyball (1999-2002)

Kim (Kester) Tierney grew accustomed to winning as a member of the UNI volleyball squad.

Kester and teammate Miranda Weber became the first two Panther volleyball players to win four regular season Missouri Valley Conference titles, as well as four MVC Tournament titles in their playing careers. Add in four NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the Sweet 16 and it’s clear that Kester and the Panthers simply were winners. Kester and Weber combined to go 70-2 vs. MVC competition in their collegiate careers.

Kester, a native of Urbana, Iowa, was named the Player of the Year for all classes after she led Center Point Urbana High School to the semifinals of the state tournament in 1998.

As a true freshman in 1999, Kester was named the MVC Freshman of the Year. UNI posted a 30-1 record and defeated both Ball State and Indiana as the Panthers advanced to the program’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance. She also earned second-team all-MVC honors after averaging 2.91 kills, 2.58 digs and 0.89 blocks per game. She did not play the first five matches of the season as head coach Iradge Ahrabi-Fard planned to redshirt her in 1999. However, a knee injury to junior Jeni Schneckloth brought Kester out of a redshirt and into the rotation. She notched 18 kills and 21 digs vs. Indiana in the NCAA Tournament.

Kester earned second-team all-MVC honors in 2000 despite coming off the bench in 21 of the 29 matches she saw action. The Panthers again won the MVC regular season and tournament titles. Kester also earned second-team scholar-athlete accolades. UNI went 29-5 and knocked off Western Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers eventually fell to No. 4-ranked Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., in the second round in four sets. Kester missed five matches with an ankle injury, but responded with a career-high 24 kills at Creighton on Oct. 27.

Under new head coach Bobbi Petersen in 2001, Kester and the Panthers continued to flourish by going 31-2 overall and winning both the MVC regular season/tournament titles. Kester earned first-team all-MVC status for the first time in her career, while leading the Panthers in kills (479). Kester was named to the scholar-athlete first team. UNI played host to a pair of NCAA Tournament matches in the West Gym on its way to the second Sweet 16 appearance in school history. The Panthers defeated Northern Illinois in three sets, before taking on Minnesota in a thrilling five-setter. UNI rallied and defeated the Golden Gophers, 26-30, 21-30, 30-21, 30-19 and 17-15. UNI’s season came to an end when No. 1-ranked Long Beach State defeated the Panthers in Long Beach, Calif., in the Sweet 16.

Kester capped her stellar career with all kinds of honors as a senior. She earned first-team all-MVC status for the second straight season, while also notching scholar-athlete first-team honors again. Kester was tabbed to the AVCA’s first-team all-district squad as she ranked second on the Panthers in kills (3.98) and first in digs (3.15). At the 2002 MVC Tournament, Kester averaged 4.50 kills, hit .283 with 24 digs, five blocks and added three service aces. For her efforts, Kester was named the MVC Tournament MVP.
Following the MVC tournament crown, the Panthers took part in the Missouri Valley/SEC Challenge in Gainesville, Fla. UNI secured a pair of five-set wins over Georgia and No. 3-ranked Florida. Kester was named the tournament MVP as she tallied a team-high 19 kills in the 3-2 win over Florida. For the weekend, she averaged 3.40 kills and 1.90 digs in the victories.

UNI again hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in the West Gym this time as a No. 1 seed in the Midwest (No. 4 seed overall in the tournament). Kester and the Panthers scored wins over Milwaukee and No. 20-ranked Missouri to earn the third Sweet 16 trip of her career. This time, the Panthers returned to Gainesville to take on No. 7-ranked Washington State. The Cougars posted a 3-0 win to end Kester’s phenomenal collegiate career that included 124 victories.

Following her senior season, Kester was selected to play on Team USA’s national training team.

Kester’s name is still littered in the Panther record book. Kester ranks No. 4 in total kills (1,439), No. 4 in kills per set (3.49), No. 4 in points (1,704.5), No. 4 in points per set (4.14) and No. 8 in attack attempts (3,321). Her 521 kills in 2002, ranks as the fourth-highest single-season kill total in program history. Her 613 points in 2002, ranks as the third-highest total in school history.

Kester married Casey Tierney and the couple resides in Urbandale, Iowa. The couple has two children, Kadyn and Kyle. Kim is working as an elementary principal within the Waukee Community School District.