After capturing a fifth-straight Great Midwest Athletic Conference championship and stretching their conference match winning streak to 71 straight, it's no surprise to see the Hillsdale College volleyball team well-represented on the list of the G-MAC's season-ending awards.
The Chargers earned three first-team All-G-MAC honors, the most of any team, and had six players recognized overall; in addition, head coach Chris Gravel was named the conference's Coach of the Year for the fifth straight season.
The honor is a familiar one for Gravel, who won four GLIAC Coach of the Year awards prior to the Chargers' move to the G-MAC and now has nine for his career, but it's one that's no less appreciated or deserved for being a yearly occurrence. Gravel has had consistent success at Hillsdale, posting a 549-266 overall record in 26 seasons with the Chargers, and has led his team to five straight 20-plus win seasons including this year, the longest stretch in program history. The Chargers also have been ranked in the AVCA DII poll for 39 consecutive weeks, another program best mark. Along with five consecutive regular season titles, the Chargers in the G-MAC under Gravel also have four straight G-MAC Tournament titles, and will look to make it five in a row this weekend.
Among Charger players, two former G-MAC Players of the Year and a former G-MAC Freshman of the Year make up Hillsdale's decorated set of first-team All-Conference honorees this season.
Senior middle hitter Allyssa Van Wienen becomes the first player in program history to record five straight first-team All-Conference honors in her career thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA as a part of the Covid-19 pandemic. There's no denying Van Wienen was a force this season as she has been throughout her career, leading the G-MAC in blocks per set (1.09) and in solo blocks (29) while finishing 10th in the conference in kills per set (2.92), sixth in hitting percentage (.338) and seventh in points per set (4.10). For the season, she's second among Chargers with 275 total kills.
An offensive and defensive force feared throughout the Midwest for her deadly-accurate slide, Van Wienen is one of just two players in Charger history (All-American Taryn Rudland being the other) to exceed 1,300 kills and 400 blocks in her career, sitting at 1,378 and 407, respectively, entering this weekend's G-MAC tournament.
Record-setting teammate Lindsey Mertz also earned first-team All-G-MAC honors as the only setter in the conference to do so. It's the fourth first-team All-G-MAC honor in her career for Mertz, who set the school record for career assists earlier this fall (4,924) to pair with the single-season school records in assists (1,264) and assists per set (12.21) that she already held from earlier in her career.
A leader and stabilizing force for the Chargers throughout her time at Hillsdale, Mertz is not only the top setter in the G-MAC in 2021 but one of the elite nationally, posting an 11.49 assists per set ratio that ranks seventh nationally in all of NCAA Division II.
Also receiving first-team All-G-MAC honors for the third consecutive season was junior outside hitter Karoline Shelton. The spring 2021 G-MAC Player of the Year continued to excel all-around in the fall, leading the Chargers with 320 kills and sitting in second on the team with 386 digs. She's the only player in the conference in the top 10 in both kills per set and digs per set, sitting in fifth in kills per set (3.64) and sixth in digs per set (4.39) entering this weekend.
A full-rotation player for the Chargers, Shelton's versatility stands out in program history. She needs just three more kills to become just the second player in school history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career, joining Cassandra Cole in reaching the accomplishment.
Along with the three first-teamers, freshman libero/defensive specialist Alli Wiese also earned second-team All-G-MAC honors. It's the second G-MAC honor for Wiese, who was a first-team honoree in the spring 2021 season that didn't count against her eligibility. During two years with the Charger program, Wiese has been consistently productive for her position, sitting in second in the G-MAC with 5.37 digs per set this year, and fourth in service aces per set with 0.39. Her digs per set also rank her 28th nationally in Division II.
Last, but not least, Hillsdale had two third-team honorees, starting with senior Maddie Clark, who is receiving the first All-G-MAC honor of her career. A dangerous outside hitter for the Chargers, Clark has overcome a serious injury in 2019 to return and play her best volleyball in 2021, finishing third on the team and 11th in the G-MAC in kills per set with 2.92 and 190 kills overall, as well as 27 blocks.
Also earning third-team honors for the Chargers is freshman Maizie Brown. Like Wiese, Brown played in the spring 2021 season without using up a year of eligibility and earned first-team honors, making this her second All-G-MAC honor. In 2021, Brown is fourth on the team with 128 kills and second on the team with 70 total blocks, proving to be a consistent force at middle hitter for the Chargers when Van Wienen is in the back-row.
Hillsdale hosts Trevecca Nazarene in a G-MAC Tournament semifinal contest at 5 p.m. on Friday in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena for their next action. If the Chargers win, Hillsdale will play for their fifth-straight conference tournament title on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against either Ashland or Ohio Dominican.