University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI Athletics Hall of Famers
Since its founding in 1985, 17 individuals and teams associated with the Panther volleyball team have been inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame. Inductees include legendary athletes, record breakers, three historic teams and contributors who have helped advance the legacy of the program.
Dr. Iradge Ahrabi-Fard (Class of 2002)
FULL BIO - Dr. Iradge Ahrabi-Fard has proven to be one of UNI’s most legendary coaches. He has been heavily involved with athletics and teaching throughout his career and not just at UNI.
In his native country of Iran, he served as Vice President of the sports Organization, President of the Institution of Sports from 1969-70, national men’s and women’s swimming coach for Iran from 1967-70, and Executive Director of the Physical Education Department of Sports, P.E. & Leisure Organization of Iran from 1967-68. In addition, he was the Special P.E. Tutor to the Crown Prince and three Princes of Iran from 1967-70, and 1976-78.
Since moving to the United States, he served as a USA Volleyball Consultant in 1997, the National Women’s Volleyball Team Advisor in the 1996 World University Games in Italy and also was the National Coach for USA Women’s Volleyball, competing in the Dominican Republic. He received state swimming Coach of the Year honors in 1966, and state Track and Field Coach of the year honors in 1981.
His career as head coach of UNI’s volleyball team began in 1981 and culminated in 2000 with 503 wins against just 142 losses. He recorded a 198-31 record in conference matches only. His teams made eight NCAA Tournament appearances. Ahrabi-Fard was a seven-time Gateway/Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year (1985, ’87, ’94, ’98, ’99, ’00) and also was a two-time District Coach of the Year (1985, ’99). In 1999, he was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year. He also received the inaugural AVCA Excellence in Education Award in 1999. In 2000, he earned UNI’s College of Education Excellent Teaching Award.
Ahrabi-Fard has had numerous articles and books published on the coaching and teaching of volleyball. He graduated high school in Tehran, Iran in 1956. He received his bachelor’s degree from UNI in 1965 and his master’s in 1966. In 1975, Ahrabi-Fard went on to earn his doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota in physical education and educational administration. Ahrabi-Fard continued at UNI as a professor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Leisure Services.
Jill Arganbright (Class of 2014)
FULL BIO - Jill Arganbright is a native of Iowa City, Iowa, and a 1999 graduate of Iowa City West.
Arganbright holds the Missouri Valley Conference record for career assists with 6,064 (18th-highest total in NCAA history).
Arganbright is one of four players in MVC history to be a four-time first-team all-MVC pick in volleyball.
She was also a three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete team pick (2001, 2002, 2003). Arganbright was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. She was a second-team selection in 2002 and a first-team honoree in 2003.
Arganbright was a three-time MVC Player of the Week honoree as a Panther. Arganbright and Molly O’Brien share the UNI record for career matches played (138). She also holds the UNI record for aces in a single match (6).
She earned her bachelor of arts degree in biology from UNI in 2004.
She currently works at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., as a pediatric otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat).
Barbara Bakker (Class of 1998)
FULL BIO - Coaches and athletes both have goals of winning a state championship and few have won more than the Dike-New Hartford varsity women's volleyball team.
Coach Barbara Bakker started the Dike volleyball program in 1979 and Dike merged with New Hartford in 1992. Since then, she won the State Class 1A Championship in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, and 1996, compiling more than 700 career match victories.
She has been sought after as a clinician and speaker, including the 1985 Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union volleyball clinic. From 1985-1988, she served on the IGHSAU Volleyball Advisory Board. In 1986, she was the IGHSAU Summer Coaching School Speaker and All-Star Coach. She served from 1986-88 on the Iowa Athletic Conference Association Volleyball Advisory Committee. Three times she was recognized by the Iowa Athletic Coaches Association as Volleyball Coach of the Year. Bakker's devotion to her athletes reached the spotlight again in 1997 when she was named Iowa Class 1A Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Respected by her peers, she has given numerous talks, including serving as clinician at Episcopal All-Star Camp in Baton Rouge, La.; in 1989, organizing the first IACA/Mizuno All-Star Banquet, Clinic & Match, as well as being an IACA/Mizuno All-Star Coach and Speaker in 1989; and in 1991, she was a speaker on goal-setting at UNI's volleyball camp. In 1994, she again spoke at the IACA/Mizuno All-Star Clinic and received an invitation to be a presenter on goal-setting at the National Athletic Coaches Convention in Des Moines.
Along with being a successful coach, she is a respected educator. She has given numerous talks in her role as a health educator. Baker is a 1970 Springville (Iowa) High School graduate. She received her B.A. in physical education from UNI in 1974 and played basketball for the Panthers. She later came back to get her M.A. in health education in 1995, with an emphasis toward school health.
Mary Bernhardt (Class of 2001)
FULL BIO - Mary E. Bernhardt possesses one of the most prolific and ongoing legacies here at the University. A four-year starter for the Panther volleyball team from 1984-87, she reached goals that would to most athletes be unattainable. A high school standout, she came to UNI as a first team all-state choice and Iowa Player of the Year following her senior year.
Hailing from nearby Dike, Iowa, UNI was a close-to-home choice for college. As a freshman, Bernhardt led the Panthers in assists with a school-record 652, and 49 single-game assists mark versus Eastern Illinois. She also held the record for digs with 232, and a record 28 against Iowa. She was the second-leading blocker on the team, and received Player of the Week accolades, as well as earning Gateway Conference all-academic honors. As a sophomore, she set a school record with 987 assists, and also led the conference in assist percentage. She was named a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American while also receiving a Gateway Conference Presidents All-Academic Award in 1985.
Her junior year proved to be her come-out year, a year that would place her name amongst the greatest in UNI's history. In 1986, she registered 1,089 assists, bettering her previous record by 102. She led the conference in assist average and was a first team all-conference setter. She earned a second GTE/CoSIDA first team Academic All-American award, and led UNI's volleyball team to its first conference championship ever with a 30-3 record. She set the UNI season record for digs with 316 and received a second President's All-Academic award. In 1987 as a senior, she broke her previous record for assists with 1,249, thus holding the record in assists four consecutive years. She added 433 digs, with a game-high 39 against Washington State. She also was a four-time UNI triple-double club member. She gained her second first team all-America honor, and was voted Gateway Conference Player of the Year while leading the team to its second straight conference championship.
Bernhardt participated in the East/West All-Star Classic in Stockton, Calif., where she was named the Reebok Scholar Athlete of the Year. After completing her senior year, she went on to become an Assistant Director of Educational Programs and Services for the United States Volleyball Association in Colorado Springs, Colo., coordinating coaching clinics across the country. She coached at her high school alma mater, Dike-New Hartford, where she served as an assistant for one year. In 1990, she went to Western Illinois as a volunteer assistant coach. She then moved on to Iowa State, working as a volunteer assistant two years. In 1994, she accepted a job as a Billing Analyst for Earth Tech-Waterloo, where she handles contracting and budgeting. She later returned to UNI as an assistant coach, helping head coach and former teammate Bobbi Petersen lead the Panthers to more conference titles and NCAA Tournament berths.
Kim [McCaffery] Davis (Class of 2018)
FULL BIO - Kim (McCaffrey) Davis was a three-time all-Missouri Valley Conference honoree for the Panther volleyball squad. McCaffrey played for UNI in 1997-2001, that included a redshirt season in 1998. She was a member of two Sweet 16 squads in 1999 and 2001. In her five seasons as a student-athlete, McCaffrey helped UNI to a 132-20 (.868 winning percentage) record. She led UNI to a 54-1 all-time in the West Gym. She was a two-time first-team MVC Scholar-Athlete selection in 2000 and 2001.
She earned AVCA all-district honors was named team captain as a senior. She finished her career with 1,272 kills and 1,015 digs. She became the fourth UNI Panther to reach 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs – a list that now features eight Panthers. McCaffrey served as co-president of UNI's SAAC while playing for the Panthers. She has served as an assistant volleyball coach at UNI for the past 17 years.
Maryellen [McCann] Durrow (Class of 2006)
FULL BIO - Coach Iradge Ahrabi-Fard's fourth volleyball team at the University of Northern Iowa finished its 1984 campaign at 16-16 and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Gateway Conference. While the record wasn't spectacular, the season was a learning experience for Maryellen McCann and her teammates. It didn't take long to turn the Panthers into a volleyball powerhouse.
McCann, who came to UNI after graduating from Pius XI High School in Milwaukee in 1984, would become part of an unprecedented run of success at UNI. The Panthers posted a 23-6 record in 1985 and tied for third in the Gateway. McCann, or "Mellen" as she was known to her teammates, was a second team all-conference selection and helped lead the Panthers to an impressive 30-3 mark in 1986, including an 8-1 mark in league play that led UNI to a share of its first Gateway title. The Panthers also made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with McCann finishing the season with a then-record .352 hitting percentage, a mark that at the time of her induction was still third-best in UNI history. That included a match against Northeast Missouri State in which she hit a sparkling .818.
As a senior co-captain, McCann helped the Panthers continue to make a name for themselves on the national scene, as the team went 34-5 and won the Gateway crown outright with a 9-0 league record. McCann was a first team all-Gateway and all-Midwest Region pick after leading the Panthers in kills, with 494, and helped lead the team to its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. She also was second on the team in digs with 361, still was the 10th best season total in school history.
At the time of her induction, McCann's career totals for kills (1,226) and service aces (146) were both in the top 10 in UNI history, while still owning the record for solo blocks in a five-game match with seven.
After graduating from UNI with a bachelor's degree in teaching in 1988, McCann continued to be involved in volleyball and took a head coaching position at Irving High School in Irving, Texas, in 1990. She held the position for nine seasons, taking a program that went 3-13 in 1990 and transforming it into a juggernaut that posted a 32-3 season in 1997. McCann was named Coach of the Year four consecutive seasons from 1994-1997 by the Irving News and earned the same honor from the Dallas Morning News in 1995. She was named district coach of the year in 1996.
Kate [Galer] Hawkins (Class of 2004)
FULL BIO - Kate Galer Hawkins was a four-year starting outside hitter in volleyball for the Panthers from 1993-96, helping UNI to a 101-18 overall mark over that time span, two Missouri Valley Conference titles, on NIT appearance, and two NCAA berths.
At the time of her Hall of Fame induction in 2004 she still held six recordsÑfor career kill average (4.35), career kill attempts (3,817) and career digs per game (3.46); for single-season kills per game (5.57), and for single-match kill attempts in four games (79) and hitting percentage in three games (.846).
She also ranked in the top 10 in numerous all-time categories, including career kills (1,720, 2nd), career hitting percentage (.292, 9th), career digs (1,368, 2nd), single season kills (535, 2nd), season kill attempts (1,201, 3rd), season digs per game (3.53, 3rd), single match kills in three games (24, 2nd), match kills in four games (28, T4th), and single match digs in four games (28, T2nd).
Hawkins held the school freshman records for kills (358) and digs (349), and the school senior class record for attempts (1,201). She led the team three straight years in kills (1994-95) and was tied for the team lead in 1994 in service aces (38). During her career, she tallied six 20-20 matches, when she reached at least 20 kills and 20 digs in a match, with a high match of 29 and 28, respectively, against Missouri State, ranking third high all time.
With such lofty numbers, it's not surprising she earned numerous honors and awards throughout her career. She was named the MVC's Freshman of the Year in 1993, and over her career was an eight-time MVC Player of the Week honoree. She was a two-time NCAA All-District 5 Selection (1995-96), a two-time second team American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region pick (1995-96), a three-time MVC first team all-conference choice (1994-96) and a four-time MVC all-tournament honoree. She was a 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
She not only received honors athletically, but academically, as well. She received the George Miner Outstanding Freshman of the Year Scholarship (1993), a Life Investors Scholarship (1995), was the Purple and Old Gold Meritorious Scholarship and Honor Graduate Certificate recipient (1995-96), received the Director of Athletics Award five straight years, when she also made the Dean's List; and earned the UNI President's Academic Excellence Award (1996). She was a three-time first team all-academic in the conference, a three-time District 5 Academic All-American (1994-96), and twice was honored as a GTE Academic All-American - first team in 1996 and third team in 1995.
Hawkins received her bachelor's degree in Marketing from UNI in December of 1995 and her MBA Degree in May of 1997. She played professionally in the National Volleyball Association one year before beginning her business career.
Alexandra [Auker] Johnson (Class of 2021)
FULL BIO - A three-time MVC All-Conference honoree, Alexandra Auker played for UNI volleyball from 1997-2000, helping the Panthers to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (1998, 1999, 2000), including the 1999 Sweet 16. She was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team in 1997 and would earn first team all-conference recognition in 1998 and 1999.
Auker helped the Panthers win three straight MVC Tournament championships from 1998-2000, earning All-Tournament recognition all three years and back-to-back tournament MVP honors in 1999 and 2000. She was also named an MVC Scholar-Athlete three times during her career, and was selected to the AVCA All-District Team in 1999.
Auker ranks 8th on UNI’s career chart for kills (1,360), 7th in kills per set (3.28), 6th in attack attempts (3,753), 10th in digs (1,303), 10th in digs per set (3.14), 8th in points (1,614), 7th in points per set (3.89).
Kara [Galer] Kimm (Class of 2004)
FULL BIO - Kara Galer Kimm, was a four-year starting setter for the Panther volleyball team from 1992-95, playing beside sister Kate three years. She helped lead the Panthers to a 98-19 overall record, two Missouri Valley Conference titles, an NIT appearance, and two NCAA berths.
Like her sister, Kimm ranked high in numerous school records. At the time of her induction she held the single season and junior class mark for hitting percentage (.393, 1994). Her name appeared in numerous top 10 categories, including career hitting percentage (.302, 6th), career digs per game (2.50, 7th), career assists (10.94, 3rd), single-match hitting percentage for three games (.818, T2nd), and hitting percentage for four games (.692, 2nd). She led the Panthers four consecutive years in assists. She tallied six triple-doubles during her career with a personal-best 10 kills, 12 digs and 54 assists against Drake in 1995.
Kimm also earned many accolades for her athletic prowess. In 1993, she was named to the National Invitational Volleyball Championships All-Tournament Team, was an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region second team selection in 1994, and was named to the NCAA All-District 5 team in 1995. She was a four-time MVC All-Tournament Team selection and was named first team all-conference all four years. She was selected twice the conference tournament's Most Valuable Player and was the league's Player of the Year in 1994 and 1995.
She also earned various academic honors, including the George Miner Outstanding Freshman of the Year Scholarship (1992), was an Honor Graduate Certificate recipient from the UNI College of Business in 1995 and 1996, was a three-time first team all-academic choice in the MVC (1993-95), received the Director of Athletics Award (1992-95), and was named to the Dean's List from 1993-95.
Kimm played professionally upon the completion of her collegiate career for the North County Waves in 1996 (professional grass) and indoors for the Iowa Blizzard in 1997. She in fact built the Iowa Blizzard from scratch, forming the roster and coaching staff, while managing the team's advertising and promotion. She was a member of the USA Women's National Volleyball Team from 1997-98, and played for the Zeiler Koniz team of the Switzerland National A League from 1998-99. She was voted the Best Setter and an All-Pro Team member in 1997, and was a bronze medalist and a gold medalist in the Switzerland Cup Tournament in 1999.
She was voted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame in 2001. Kimm received her bachelor's degree in marketing in 1996.
Molly O'Brien (Class of 2010)
FULL BIO - 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.
She is also a member of the MVC's Hall of Fame.
Bre Payton (Class of 2017)
FULL BIO - Bre Payton played for the Panther volleyball squad from 2008-2011 and was a member of four consecutive NCAA Tournament teams. She was a three-time MVC Player of the Year and a three-time All-America choice. She joins Molly O'Brien as the only two league players to be named a three-time MVC Player of the Year. She ranks No. 3 on UNI's all-time assist chart with 4,752 assists.
Bobbi [Becker] Petersen (Class of 2003)
FULL BIO - As one of the most successful volleyball players in UNI history, Bobbi Petersen has taken her experience, leadership and incredible knowledge of the game into the coaching profession, helping the Panther volleyball team become a nationally recognized powerhouse. She is regarded as one of the most successful volleyball coaches in the nation.
After being named UNI's permanent head volleyball coach in 2001, she took the Panthers to new heights in volleyball success. She guided UNI to a stunning record of 66-5 her first two seasons, advancing to the NCAA's Sweet 16 both seasons. She was named regional coach of the year both years, and earned 2002 National Coach of the Year honors in 2002, when she piloted UNI to a 34-3 record, a top-10 national ranking, and number one seed in the NCAA tournament.
However, before becoming a coach, she had her own success on the court. After graduating from Dike (Iowa) High School in 1986, she went on to play for the Panthers, earning a varsity letter all four years. She was named first team All-Gateway in 1987, 1988, and 1989 and to the American Volleyball Coaches Association all-district team twice. She was named Gateway Player of the Week six times. She was awarded the UNI Meritorious Recreational Leadership Award, the Babe Zaharias Female Athlete of the Year Award, and earned the title of Conference Volleyball Player of the Decade. She broke nine school records and the Gateway/MVC record for most kills in a match (40). In 2006, she was named to the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Volleyball Team. She graduated with a degree in therapeutic recreation and continued her education, earning her master's degree in physical education in 1992.
After graduation, she continued her volleyball career, playing professionally with the Iowa Blizzard of the national Volleyball Association. She was named All-Pro in 1996 and 1997. In 1990, she took a break from volleyball, working as a therapeutic recreation specialist and rehabilitation specialist. She returned to UNI to serve as an assistant coach from 1995-96 and 1998-2000. When legendary head coach Dr. Iradge Ahrabi-Fard took a leave of absence during the 1997 season to serve as a consultant to USA Volleyball, Petersen took over as interim head coach, leading her squad to an 18-9 overall mark and a second-place finish in the conference.
Ellie [Blankenship] Reagan (Class of 2016)
FULL BIO - 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.
Kim [Kester] Tierney (Class of 2016)
FULL BIO - 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.
Shannon [Perry] Wieland (Class of 2015)
FULL BIO - Shannon (Perry) Wieland ranks second all-time at UNI in assists with 4,881. She led the Panthers in assists in each of her four seasons.
She was named the MVC Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999. She was a three-time first-team All-MVC pick and a three-time first-team academic All-MVC honoree.
She was the first UNI volleyball player to earn Division I All-America honors from the AVCA in 1999 as she tallied second-team status. She recorded five triple-doubles in her career.
She has also been selected as a member of the MVC All-Centennial Team. Perry was a three-time member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete squad.
She would help lead the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and also in 1999 where she would take the Panthers to the Sweet Sixteen – for the first time in school history.
In 2000, Perry was selected as the representative from the state of Iowa as a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Perry is originally from Overland Park, Kan., and attended Blue Valley Northwest High School.
She is married to former UNI wrestling All-American Tony Wieland. The couple resides in West Des Moines with their two children. She is working as a physical therapist and as a consultant volleyball coach.
Kate Witte (Class of 2022)
FULL BIO - During the early years of the UNI volleyball program, Kate Witte helped set the standard of excellence for the Panther program. From 1978 through her senior season in 1981, Witte helped lead the Panthers to 115 wins under head coaches Carol Gruber and Iradge Ahrabi-Fard. The 1981 Midwest Region AIAW all-American graduated from UNI in 1982 following one of the team's most successful seasons as the Panthers amassed a 40-8-3 record, the winningest season in program history.
Witte was named the head women's volleyball coach at Ohio Northern University in 1991, a role she would excel in until her retirement following the 2019 season. While at ONU, Witte built the Polar Bears into one of the most successful programs in Division III with a career record of 742-241 (.756 win percentage), winning 19 Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles, 15 conference tournament championships, and qualifying for 23 NCAA Division III tournaments. Witte's Polar Bears would reach the Sweet Sixteen 12 times in her career, while making the Elite Eight four times, and the Final Four once. She was named OAC Coach of the Year seven times during her 29-year career, and earned seven AVCA Regional Coach of the Year honors. Witte also spent 16 years of her time at ONU as the department's senior women's administrator and was a professor of health education.
1999 Volleyball Team (Class of 2018)
FULL BIO - They had fans buzzing all season, from start to finish, and they still had plenty to talk about even when the season was over. For the UNI Panthers and their fans, the 1999 volleyball season will surely go down as one of the most memorable years in school history. UNI tasted defeat only once after beginning the season with 30 consecutive wins and the program's first-ever appearance in the Sweet 16. UNI advanced to the Sweet 16 with NCAA Tournament victories over Ball State and Indiana. UNI entered the Sweet 16 as the only undefeated team in the country. UNI had cruised through the MVC season with a perfect 18-0 record which included in the middle a non-conference win over nationally-ranked Minnesota. UNI climbed as high as No. 15 in the AVCA Top-25 poll, which at the time was the highest ranking for an MVC team in league history. The squad featured four first-team all-MVC picks in Shannon Perry, Holly VanHofwegen, Alexandra Auker and Kim McCaffrey. Perry was named the MVC Player of the Year and tallied second-team AVCA All-America honors. Auker earned MVP status in the 1999 MVC Tournament, and Kim Kester was named the MVC Freshman of the Year. Iradge Ahrabi-Fard was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year.
1999 Team Members:
Jill Arganbright
Alexandra Auker
Andrea Carlson
Jodi DeVries
Maya Hirsch
Kim Kester
Kim McCaffrey
Shannon Perry
Jeni Schneckloth
Holly VanHofwegen
Miranda Weber
Head Coach: Iradge Ahrabi-Fard
Assistant Coaches: Bobbi Petersen, Annie Dailey
Managers: Chris Kaiser, Deann Woodin, Jared Penning
2001 Volleyball Team (Class of 2012)
FULL BIO - 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