Concordia-St. Paul Athletic Hall of Fame
A key member of Concordia-St. Paul’s first three national championship teams, Sadie (Kessler) Murphy, BBA ’10, wrapped up her career as an AVCA and Daktronics All-America Second Team selection during the volleyball program’s magical undefeated season in 2009 as a senior.
The St. Michael, Minnesota native (St. Michael-Albertville High School) lost just eight matches over her four-year career as she helped the team to a staggering 146-8 record during that span, including a nearly perfect 75-1 in NSIC action. The team grabbed four straight NSIC crowns in addition to the NCAA titles while they reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in all four seasons. The results were even more staggering in her final two seasons as the program won 74 consecutive matches to end her career. A member of the 1,000 kill club at CSP, Murphy ranks 16th in program history with 1,088 kills while her .314 career hitting percentage ranks 12th.
The right-side hitter jumped into the spotlight in her junior year as she led the NSIC and ranked 24th in the nation with a .351 hitting percentage as the team rattled off 37 straight victories to claim their second title. Her efforts earned her AVCA All-America honorable mention recognition while she also locked up a spot on the All-NSIC First Team.
Murphy saved her best for last as she upped her hitting percentage to .379 to finish second in the league and 14th in the country also contributing a career-best 3.22 kills per set and 2.36 digs per set. She also chipped in 0.38 service aces per set, good for second in the NSIC, as she grabbed her second consecutive All-NSIC First Team selection and was named both AVCA and Daktronics All-America Second Team.
The senior put together a dominant performance in the 2009 NCAA Central Region Tournament, hitting a blistering .574 with just one error while contributing 4.00 kills per set to be named the AVCA National Player of the Week. She capped off the dream season two weeks later as she finished off her career with a third consecutive national crown.
In the classroom Murphy was a three-time NSIC All-Academic pick and was named a Top 5 Business Student at CSP in 2010. She completed her degree in accounting and finance in May of that year.
Murphy began her professional career as an Audit and Tax Associate at Ryan J. Terry, LTD before moving to Boston in 2013. After spending five years working in finance on the east coast, she returned home to take a job with General Mills. She currently holds the position of Senior Trade Analyst in the Convenience Store and Foodservice segment.
In addition to her professional career, Murphy moved into the coaching realm following graduation working for various Junior Olympic programs from 2010-15. Her stops included Woodbury Juniors, St. Louis Park Juniors and St. Michael-Albertville Juniors.
She and her husband, Brian, were married in 2018 and currently reside in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
