UWEC Athletics Hall of Fame
Abby Master was an outside hitter who played on two conference championship teams and helped the Blugolds reach the NCAA playoffs four straight years from 2005 through 2008. She played her freshman and sophomore seasons with her sister Carly for veteran coach Lisa Herb and her final two years for coach Kim Wudi, earning All-Conference first team honors as both a junior and senior.
Master had a stellar senior season as she was named the conference Player of the Year and conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She also was accorded AVCA second-team All-American honors and was named a Blugold Super Six recipient for 2008-09. Master was honored as team MVP her junior season and co-MVP her senior season with setter Emily Haese.
During her career, the Blugolds were 26-6 in conference play and 106-32 overall. She ranks among the top 10 in career total attacks, service aces and digs.
Master received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from UWEC in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Master began her career as a speech language pathologist. In 2014, she founded Elevate Wellness, which was a therapy and wellness group for teens. In 2016, she developed a curriculum and methodology, EmpowerU, to support young people within the school day in an accessible and equitable way. EmpowerU launched in Minnesota-based schools in 2018. The educational program provided mental health and resilience support and served over 20,000 students across the country. EmpowerU's success spiked the interest of prospective buyers and in 2023 was acquired by a top private equity firm to further the mission and impact on students. At the time of her induction, she served as Vice-President of Student Success. For 10 years, she and her husband owned and operated a gym. They also sold that business in 2023.Â
At the time of her induction, she and her husband Ryan, a property manager who is into renovations, lived in New Hope, Minnesota with their children Brecken (8), Leo (6) and Blakely (4).
