Lindsey Mertz — No Excuses
Charger Volleyball | Class of 2021 | Frankenmuth, MI
WORDS: Calli Townsend
Lindsey Mertz has been a dominate player from the first time she stepped on the court in a Charger uniform. This junior setter was both the G-MAC Freshman of the Year and the AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year, which is something no Charger has ever done before. In her sophomore season, she tied the Hillsdale record for assists in a single season and now ranks sixth in all time assists.
Much of her success is due to her mental toughness, which she says stems from her many experiences as an athlete. In high school she played volleyball, basketball, and tennis, all of which put the pressure on her to perform consistently well.
When it came to basketball, she played just about every position, depending on where the coaches needed her. They knew she was an overall great athlete they could rely on.
"I think it just comes from the sports that I played growing up," Lindsey said. "Being a setter in volleyball, you touch the ball every point. When you know you're going to lead your team to failure or success every point, being able to let things go easily is important. Or in tennis, you're going to win the point or lose the point, and that's all on you. You have to remember the good shots and forget the bad."
One way she reminds herself to leave the mistakes on the court in the past is by repeating her favorite quote.
"Show me a guy who is afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat every time."
Over the years Lindsey has learned this importance of not playing afraid, but rather to compete with confidence. She said if she could give her younger self any piece of advice, she would say it's important to have a long term memory for success, and a short term memory for failure.
She is able to share this advice with younger athletes as well. Several years ago, Lindsey's older sister Maddy started a youth tennis program in their hometown of Frankenmuth. In 2018, Lindsey took over for her sister and began leading and coaching. She said this is something she loved to do.
"It's fun because as much as I love volleyball, it's sad only being able to play one sport," she said. "By [spring time] I'm itching to get on the tennis court."
In addition to her athletic experience, Lindsey said her dad has had a great influence on her life, as he challenges her to give her best, not excuses.
"My dad is a very disciplined person. He gets up at like 5 or 5:30 every morning and is ready to go. He's an extremely hard worker and always pushes me to do my best," she said. "He's someone who won't accept a single excuse from me and he's taught me excuses are never the answer."
The Mertz family's hometown of Frankenmuth is a special place in Michigan. It's a German town known for celebrating Christmas year round and is home to the famous Bronner's Christmas Store. It's a place that has influenced Lindsey's life and studies.
"Growing up, German was the language we were taught all through elementary and middle school. Its' always been a part of my church and community," she said. "We even had German church services. We also have lots of different German festivals."
Her background in German has inspired her to continue to learn more about the language and the culture while studying at Hillsdale.
"I'm an economics major, and I knew I needed to do a BA so started taking German classes," she said. "I love the professors and the department. I loved the language and everything about it."
And so in the summer of 2019 she spent a month studying abroad in Germany. She learned about the trip from fellow Frankenmuth native and Hillsdale alumna, Liz Laux, who told Lindsey it was one of the best parts of her college experience.
"It's a study abroad and one of the professors goes with us," she explained. "We study for half the day and then do day trips the other half."
She said the biggest thing she learned during her time in Germany was the presence of God, no matter where you're at.
"No matter the place, language, or people I interact with, God always has a way of showing his love through it all," she said. "I learned so much about God by being able to worship him in a different language and see His work through people I would've never met if I didn't have the opportunity to travel."
Lindsey tried new foods daily, her favorite being the "shokocroissant," which is a chocolate croissant. She also go to speak to people who were taking refuge in Germany. They were form all over, like Ghana, Somolia, and Pakistan. She said she heard many interesting stories of their adjusting to German culture and the struggles they still face.
She returned from her trip only two days before the Chargers' preseason starts, so she had to overcome a bit of jet lag as she returns to life in Hillsdale. But knowing Lindsey, that certainly won't slow her down.