Molly McCage

Personal: Beyond her athletic pursuits, Molly McCage serves as the Chairperson of Athletes Unlimited’s Player Executive Committee. She comes from a family with a strong athletic background, including her father, Larry, who played basketball at Rice and Sam Houston State, and her brother, Nathan, who played football at UTEP, and brother, Collin, who played football at Evangel University. Her uncle, Sam, was a football player at LSU from 1976-79. Molly graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in corporate communications. She is passionate about sustainable fashion and intersectional environmentalism. Her hobbies include watching movies, exploring new restaurants, shopping, and playing beach volleyball. She also enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with her dog, Franklin. McCage credits former Pepperdine University head men’s volleyball coach Marv Dunphy as a person who has made a difference in her life. In her childhood, she participated in various sports, including basketball, track and field, cheerleading, and swimming. Additionally, she was involved in dance and choir. The choice of her jersey number, No. 5, is a tribute to the five children in her family.

2023 Season: McCage is the inaugural recipient of the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Blocker of the Year Award. She earned 11th place on the final league standings. McCage was one of the two middle blockers named to the All-Position Team and accumulated 2,896 leaderboard points. She ranked fourth in the league with 280 MVP points and tied for second in the league with seven Match MVP awards. McCage was one of six players to collect 400 or more leaderboard points in a match during the season. She appeared in 44 sets over 15 matches and ranked seventh in the league with 22 solo blocks. Additionally, she tied for fourth among the league’s middle blockers with 19 block assists and paced the league with a .406 hitting percentage while registering 122 kills in 15 matches. McCage earned Match MVP honors in five consecutive contests from October 16-27. She set the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball single-match record by hitting .824 with a career-high 14 kills on 17 attempts against Team Edmond on October 23. McCage finished with a career-high 400 leaderboard points while receiving the MVP 1 distinction and notched 10 kills with four total blocks and a .474 hitting percentage against Team Linnehan in the Week Two finale. She received MVP 3 accolades in the Week Three opener after contributing nine kills and a .471 hitting percentage against Team Hilley and also had nine kills and a .471 hitting percentage on October 22 against Team Rosenthal. McCage started Week Five with back-to-back Match MVP awards and received the MVP 2 distinction against Team Hentz after tallying nine kills with a .444 hitting percentage and three total blocks. She collected 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage in an MVP 3 effort against Team Nuneviller and set a career-high with six digs against Team Hentz on October 15 in addition to nine kills. McCage tallied 100 or more leaderboard points in 12 of 15 matches and participated in the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Exhibition Tour.

2022 Season: McCage's exceptional performance earned her a spot on the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Dream Team. Notably, she was one of the four Athletes Unlimited Volleyball athletes nominated for the 2021 Civic Leadership Award presented by EY. Throughout the second Athletes Unlimited season, she participated in 11 matches, competing in 32 sets and amassing a total of 1,929 leaderboard points. Her prowess as a middle blocker was evident as she secured the second position in the league with 27 blocks. Impressively, she achieved four matches with four or more rejections. Alongside her blocking skills, she exhibited her offensive capabilities with 61 kills and a hitting percentage of .210. Her standout performances in Week One included 23 kills over three matches, with a remarkable 10 kills against Team McClendon on March 18. Her season debut against Team Lowe on March 16 showcased her efficiency with a hitting percentage of .412, accompanied by nine kills. In Week Two, she began with six kills and a .357 hitting percentage against Team Valentin-Anderson on March 23. However, an injury sidelined her for the subsequent four matches. McCage's season concluded with a series of impactful performances, achieving five or more kills in five of the last six matches. Notably, she garnered eight kills against Team Sheilla on April 6. Her blocking skills shone through with a season-high of five blocks against Team Valentin-Anderson in Week Four. One of her standout achievements was collecting a season-high of 253 leaderboard points through eight kills against Team Sheilla in the Week Four opener.

2021 Season: During the 2021 season, McCage participated in all 15 matches, contributing across 45 sets. She secured a notable ranking of 22nd in the league with 2,247 leaderboard points. Her skills were evident as she ranked fifth in the league with 26 blocks and ninth in Athletes Unlimited with 117 kills. Throughout the season, she achieved double-digit kills in five of the first seven matches. She showcased her caliber with a season-high of 11 kills on four occasions. Her season debut against Team Clark was particularly remarkable, achieving a league-leading hitting percentage of .790 with 11 kills and zero attack errors in 14 attempts. Another notable performance came in the Week Two opener against Team Larson, where she achieved a .710 hitting percentage with 10 kills on 14 attempts. Molly McCage consistently impressed with back-to-back 11-kill performances against Team Lowe and Team Edmond. Her defensive skills were evident with a season-high of six blocks combined with eight kills against Team Sybeldon in Week One.

Other Professional Experience: McCage boasts an impressive professional career, having played in the German Women’s Volleyball League for Allianz MTV Stuttgart and VC Wiesbaden. Her accolades include earning a bronze, silver, and gold medal in the league. Notably, she was named the league’s Best Blocker for two consecutive years.

International Experience: McCage has represented Team USA on the international stage, achieving a Gold medal with the team at the Pan American Cup in both 2017 and 2018.

At Texas: During her college years, McCage was a standout at Texas, earning three-time AVCA All-America and All-Region selections as a Middle Blocker. She played for Texas from 2012 to 2015 and left an indelible mark on the program. McCage ranks third in program history with 459 career block assists and fourth on the Longhorns’ career list with 498 total blocks. Her junior season saw her earn Third-Team All-America commendations, and she received First-Team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore and senior. In her freshman year, she was a member of the All-Big 12 Freshman Team in 2012. McCage's impact extended to her leadership role as team captain, serving in this capacity twice during her college career. Her contributions to the team included leading in total blocks as a sophomore and junior, and she was named to the NCAA Austin Regional All-Tournament Team in 2015. Her dedication to both athletics and academics is reflected in her three-time Academic All-Big 12 honors.