The Hillsdale College volleyball team bolstered its roster for the upcoming season and the future with a mid-May signing of an exciting prospect from overseas.
Vasiliki Paplomata, a setter from Triadi in the Thessaloniki region of Greece and a graduate of the Hellenic College of Thessaloniki, is the fourth player in Hillsdale's freshman class that arrives this fall for the 2023 season, and helps fill a need at a crucial position on the floor. Paplomata gives the Chargers a third full-time setter on the roster, adding depth for her first season with the potential to grow into a bigger role over the course of her career.
Paplomata has been a stellar performer on the Greek volleyball scene, leading Hellenic College of Thessaloniki to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Panhellenic Interschools Championship in each of the past two years, while also playing in the Northern Greece U18 and U20 Championships in club volleyball in both of those seasons, playing for clubs like Atromitos Triadiou, Navarchos Votsis and Perseas.
The Greek native also has represented her home country in international play, including playing for Greece in the U16 Volleyball European Championships and the European Volleyball Confederation in 2019, as well as earning a spot on the U18 Greek National Team in 2021.
In addition to her success on the court, Paplomata also has stood out in the classroom and in her community, winning multiple academic awards including first place in a 2018 national writing contest on environmental Issues, organized by the Greek Ministry of Education, and another top prize in the 2017 Panhellenic Elementary Physics Competition. She's also an active volunteer in her community, participating in the 2022 EIT UM RIS Hub GREECE Project to suggest upgrades to city transport, as well as serving as a member of the Youth Council of the Municipality of Thermi, and helping in the soup kitchen at local charities through her school, as well as raising money and other donations to help support members of her community.
Paplomata joins a class that includes outside hitter and early enrolleee Greta Wise, as well as middle hitters Molly Kennedy and Marcelina Gorny. She'll get the opportunity to carve out an early role on an experienced Hillsdale squad looking to add to its string of conference success and NCAA Tournament appearances this fall.
Photo is courtesy of the Athlete