She was part of the first USA Women’s Olympic Team in 1964 and one of the most decorated local volleyball players in history. An 11-time USVBA All-American and eight-time national champion with the Shamrocks, Murphy competed many years internationally with the USA national team. Her highlights included the 6-3 middle blocker leading the 1963 USA Pan-American Games to the silver medal. She then played in Tokyo in 1964, and stayed with the USA program that won a silver medal at the 1967 World Championships and a gold medal at the 1967 Pan-American Games.

In 1971 she received the USA Volleyball “All-Time Great Player” award as one of the first 12 women selected for the national honor. She made the USA 75th Diamond All-Era Team for players from 1949-1977. She spent 40 years in coaching and was at Burroughs High School in Burbank from 1984-2002. She won two league titles and twice advanced to the CIF playoff quarter-finals. She played and coached at San Fernando Valley State (now CSUN) and was a three-sport athlete at LA Valley College and inducted in 2014 into their Athletics HOF. For her USA Volleyball work, she was awarded the James E. Coleman USA National Team Award.