2012 AVCA Division II All-American Release
December 4, 2012 - For the sixth time in the past seven years, the Hillsdale College volleyball program has had one of its players named All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Senior middle hitter Lauren Grover was named honorable mention All-American Monday morning by the AVCA. Grover was one of just three players from GLIAC schools to earn All-American recognition from the AVCA.
The national honor caps an unforgettable career for the six-footer out of Columbus, Ohio. She exits the program ranked number four in school history in total blocks with 462, and her 834 career kills ranks her 10th in school history. She was part of three GLIAC Tournament championship teams and four NCAA Tournament-qualifying teams. The Chargers went 8-4 in her 12 career postseason matches, making her by far, the most successful and prolific postseason player in the history of the program.
In 2012, Grover was the only senior on the team but still registered eye-popping numbers. She led the GLIAC in blocks per set with 1.34, and her 159 total blocks was the second-most in a season in school history, behind Clara Leutheuser's record of 161, set last year. She was third on the team with 271 kills, the ninth-most in a single-season in the 25-point rally score era. She helped guide the team to a 17-16 record in the 2012 season, but most notably, to its second-ever appearance in the NCAA Regional Final.
She finished her final season with a flourish, recording at least nine kills in each of her last five matches. She was named to the Midwest Region All-Tournament Team after picking up 30 kills and 13 total blocks in the Chargers' run through the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Some of her best matches of the 2012 season came against some of Hillsdale's toughest competition, a trademark of her career. She had a season-high of 13 kills on four occasions, against Regis, California (Pa.), Indianapolis and Northwood. Each of those four teams were NCAA Tournament teams. Three of them – Regis, Cal and UIndy – made it to the NCAA Sweet 16, while the fourth, Northwood, was the 2012 GLIAC tournament champions.
In the 2011 national semifinal, she had 12 kills and just one error while playing directly against the 2011 NCAA Division II national player of the year, Cal State San Bernardino's Samantha Middleborn.
Grover's trophy case is overflowing with awards and honors. She was named the GLIAC South Division Player of the week twice in her career, and was named Second-Team All-GLIAC (2011), First-Team All-GLIAC (2012) and First-Team All-Region (2012). She made the 2011 NCAA Division II Elite Eight All-Tournament Team, and will be named to the GLIAC All-Academic Team for a third time in her career later this month.
Off the court, she is the Senior Class President at Hillsdale College and is a member of the Chi Omega sorority.
Grover becomes the seventh Hillsdale College player since 2006 to be named an AVCA All-American, and her award is the 11th such honor earned by a Charger player since then.