The Hillsdale College volleyball team is consistent in pursuit of excellence on and off the court.
This past year has been no exception, despite the challenges, as another award this week from the American Volleyball Coaches Association shows.
The AVCA, in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps, announced on Monday that Hillsdale was once again one of 1,275 college and high school teams to earn the organization's Team Academic Award for the 2020-21 season.
The award, first given out in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale. This is the ninth time that Hillsdale has earned the award in program history, and the second-straight season that the Chargers have brought home the honor. 161 Division II programs won the award for the 2020-21 season.
Achievement in the classroom didn't come at the expense of success on the court for the Chargers. Hillsdale captured a fourth-straight Great Midwest Athletic Conference title with a perfect 11-0 record, and went unbeaten in three tournament matches to claim the G-MAC tourney title as well. At the AVCA National Championship Invitational in April, the Chargers shook off a slow start to win four straight matches and claim the Silver Bracket title to cap the season.
All this success came in spite of a challenging year, where the Chargers lost their fall volleyball season, and also a chance to compete for an NCAA Division II national title thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. But Hillsdale stayed focused and made the most of the abbreviated spring 2021 campaign, organized by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
With every player who lettered in the spring returning this fall, including 2019 G-MAC Player of the Year Allyssa Van Wienen and Spring 2021 G-MAC Player of the Year, Karoline Shelton, the Chargers hope to continue their recent string of elite results on the court and in the classroom in the 2021-22 campaign, beginning in September.