June 11, 2012 – The Hillsdale College volleyball program has added a seventh player to its incoming freshman class.
Jordan Denmark, a native of Redlands, California, will join six other players in the freshman class of 2012 for the Chargers. She signed with the program during the late NCAA signing period earlier this spring. Incidentally, Redlands is only 11 miles away from San Bernardino, where the Chargers played in the 2011 NCAA Division II Elite Eight back in December.
A 5-foot-11 outside hitter, Denmark was a three-time All-League player at Arrowhead Christian High School. She earned spots on All-Tournament Teams at the Laguna Blanca Invitational in 2010 and the Team Brentwood Invitational in 2011. Her team won league championships in her first three seasons, and made it to the CIF quarterfinals in 2008 and 2011.
She has seven years of club volleyball experience, having most recently played for the Tiger VBC 18s. She also played for Rancho VBC 17-1s, Tiger VBC 14s and 16s, and Yucaipa 12s and 14s.
Away from volleyball, Denmark has traveled extensively, participating on mission trips to the Ukraine and Costa Rica. She was also a member of the student council, the Discipleship Group Leader for girls and was involved with the Trinity Church Youth Group.
First Release
December 1, 2011 – The 2011 GLIAC and Midwest Regional champion Hillsdale College volleyball team is thrilled to announce its incoming freshman class, which will join the program starting with the 2012 season.
The Chargers will be welcoming a class of six players, two from Indiana and four from Michigan. Joining Hillsdale's program are Marissa Owen (Saline, Mich.), Kristin Malcolm (Plymouth, Mich.), Jenalle Beaman (Lafayette, Ind.), Emily Wolfert(Yorktown, Ind.), Haylee Booms (Marysville, Mich.) and Sam Siddall (Brighton, Mich.).
Malcolm was a four-year starter at Plymouth Christian High School in suburban Detroit, and was one of the school's finest student-athletes. She earned a 4.2 overall grade point average, was a National Merit semi-finalist and was the president of the National Honor Society.
In volleyball, Malcom was a three-year captain and earned All-State honors a total of three times in her career. She was named First-Team All-Area by the Plymouth Observer twice and was a two-time conference MVP. She earned First-Team All-Conference honors three times and was named All-Region three times.
She helped lead Plymouth Christian to four straight district titles, two regional championships and two undefeated seasons in the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference. Her team was Class D state finalists in 2010.
Malcom played for the A2 Volleyball Club in 2011-12, and has club experience with the M-Juniors and the Huron Valley Volleyball Club. She was ranked among the top 160 freshmen in the nation in 2008 by PrepVB.com.
Beaman is a 5-foot-8 left-handed outside hitter who is extremely athletic and has a vertical jump of 9 feet, 6 inches. She was a First-Team All-Conference player as a junior in 2010 and was a team captain and Senior North All-Star in 2011. She earned the title "Pride of Harrison Volleyball" as a junior and a senior, and was a Junior North All-Star in 2010. She also earned two varsity letters in track. She played her prep volleyball at Harrison High School.
Beaman played her club ball for the Circle 18-1s.
She stayed very active outside of the volleyball court, participating in the Leadership Council, "Stay in Bounds," the Keyettes and in the school newspaper. She also earned academic awards through all four years in high school.
Siddall is a six-foot middle and outside hitter who started for the Brighton Bulldogs for three years, helping to lead the team to three straight district championships. She was named the 2010 Livingston County Player of the Year and was twice named the Bulldogs' MVP. She played her club volleyball for A2, just like future Charger teammate Malcom.
Most recently, she earned honorable mention All-State honors for the 2011 season.
Wolfert will begin her college career having reached the mountain top in Indiana high school volleyball as a senior in 2011. She led Yorktown High School to the Indiana 3A state championship this fall, and a number-one overall ranking in the state. Her team was rated #16 in the nation at the conclusion of the 2011 season.
Wolfert obliterated the old school record for kills in a season with her 679 kills as a senior. She was named First-Team All-State and Academic All-State. As of Nov. 22, Wolfert was a finalist for the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year (the award hasn't been announced yet). She was selected to the Indiana North/South Senior All-Star Game, earned the 3A Mental Attitude Award, and was named the Volleyball Athlete of the Year by The Muncie Star Press.
Other honors Wolfert picked up include the Hoosier Heritage Conference All-Academic Team and First-Team All-Conference.
Owen was a 5-8 setter for Saline High School, and earned an overall grade point average above 4.0. Like Siddall, she played for the A2 Club volleyball team and put together an active and successful high school career, on and off the court.
Possessing a jump-block height of 8-7, Owen also has experience as a right-side hitter. She was a three-year starter for the Yellow Jackets and was named team MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 2010. She earned a spot on the All-Washtenaw County Team and was named to the Dream Team by Heritage Newspapers. She was Saline's leader in kills, serve receive percentage and ranked second in blocks, aces and assists as a junior.
Prior to playing for A2, Owen played for three years for the Huron Valley Volleyball Cub. She was named to the honor roll three times and earned "All-A" academic honors three times.
She coached youth volleyball teams in the area, instructing girls in grades 5-8 on the fundamentals of the game. She has also served as a homework tutor and has volunteered for the humane society. In 2009, Owen was named the winner of the Woodie Merchant Sportsmanship Award.
Booms, a six-foot middle blocker, finished her prep career as one of the most talented and highly honored players in the Macomb Area Conference while leading traditional powerhouse Marysville High School to the Class B state semifinals in 2011.
She was named the MAC Red Division MVP twice and was her team's most valuable player twice. The Port Huron Times-Herald ranked her the top player in its coverage area prior to the 2011 season, and she earned First-Team All-State honors as a senior. Booms led the Vikings to four straight district championships and three straight regional titles during her prep career.
Booms received numerous honors during her club career with the Legacy volleyball club. Her team was champions of the North Coast Power League and the Lakeshore Volleyfest. They were runner-ups at the National Junior Classic in Chicago and took third place at the Dayton President's Day Cup. Her team took 13th overall at the AAU national championships.
Despite the same last name and corresponding hometown, Haylee Booms is not related to Hillsdale College All-Conference setter Stephanie Booms, who played for the Chargers from 2005-08.