Molly O’Brien was a middle blocker for the UNI volleyball team from 2000-03.
During her storied career at UNI, the Panthers won four Missouri Valley Conference championships and made four NCAA Tournament appearances, twice advancing to the Sweet 16.
She was a four-time first-team All-MVC selection – one of only two players in league history to complete that feat. O’Brien was the MVC Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons from 2001-03, and was also honored as all-district by the American Volleyball Coaches Association for those three seasons.
O’Brien received All-MVC Tournament team recognition all four years, taking MVP honors in 2001 and 2003. Three times, she was named to the conference’s scholar-athlete first-team. In 2002, O’Brien took third-team All-America honors, and in 2003 she was a second-team academic All-American.
She ranks second all-time in the MVC with 653 career block assists and third all-time with 1,779 career kills. Her career hitting percentage of .315 is the second-best in school history.
O’Brien was elected to the MVC All-Centennial team in 2006 as the top vote-getter and her 10-time MVC Player of the Week honors are the most ever.
