2020-21 CoSIDA Volleyball Academic All-District Honorees
From the beginning, seniors Lindsey Mertz and Allyssa Van Wienen have had a special connection with the Hillsdale College volleyball program.
An All-American level middle hitter for the Chargers, almost all of Van Wienen's 1,103 career kills over four years have come with an assist from Mertz, the team's starting setter for the last four seasons as well.
It's only fitting then, that Mertz and Van Wienen are the only two teammates in District 4 at the NCAA Division II level to share a special honor from the College Sports Information Directors Association for the 2020-21 season.
Both Mertz and Van Wienen were among the CoSIDA Academic All-District volleyball honorees at the Division II level, CoSIDA announced on Thursday afternoon. The program, which has been around since 1952, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field or court and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Just eight players in each of the eight national district earn Volleyball Academic All-District honors from CoSIDA, and Hillsdale was the only school in District 4 with multiple honorees in 2021.
Both players are athletic standouts who have helped continue a legacy of high levels of sustained success for the Hillsdale College volleyball program.
Van Wienen was a consensus NCAA Division II All-American in 2019, as well as the G-MAC Volleyball Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year that season, and is a four-time first-team All-G-MAC honoree and three-time first-team All-Region honoree. The Grand Rapids, Michigan native is one of just four players in Hillsdale College history to exceed both 1,000 kills and 300 blocks in her career, and holds the 25-point rally scoring era single-season school record at Hillsdale for serving percentage with a mark of .990 this past spring.
Mertz, meanwhile, is a three-time first-team All-G-MAC player who likely only missed a fourth honor due to an injury this spring. The 2017 G-MAC and Midwest Region Freshman of the Year, Mertz is on pace to break the Hillsdale career record in assists, and has single-season school records for the 25-point, rally scoring era in assists (1,264 in 2019) and assists per set (12.21 in 2018).
Both players have been equally successful in the classroom and community. Van Wienen has made the dean's list in six of her eight semesters on campus, with a 4.0 in Fall 2019, and earned D2 ADA and G-MAC Academic All-Conference honors multiple times. She's been active in the community as well, assisting with Hillsdale College's Christchapel dedication in fall 2019, and doing extensive volunteer work in the summer helping coach and instruct younger players at volleyball camps. She is currently finishing up a degree in Exercise Science at Hillsdale and is on track to graduate with honors.
Mertz, meanwhile, has made the dean's list seven of eight semesters on campus, and received both the D2 ADA and G-MAC Academic All-Conference awards for three consecutive seasons. She's also an active member of the Delta Phi Alpha National German honorary, while serving as a member of the leadership council for Athletes Intervarsity, Hillsdale's campus Christan athlete ministry, and serving as a volunteer coach for the Charged Up volleyball club team. Mertz is currently finishing up a degree in Economics at Hillsdale, and is on track to graduate with honors.
First-team Academic All-District® honorees in volleyball advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First- and second-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early July.
Although they have four seasons under their belt already, both Van Wienen and Mertz are both planning to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the cancellation of the Fall 2020 NCAA Division II championship by Covid-19 to return for a fifth season with the Chargers, and will play their final campaign this fall.
Photos by Anthony Lupi