In a season she never thought she’d be playing in three years ago, Hillsdale College senior Maddie Clark has been playing the best volleyball of her career.
That standout play has earned her recognition from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, as the G-MAC office announced that Clark had been named the North Division Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday afternoon.
Clark had a strong weekend to help Hillsdale wrap up its fourth-straight undefeated season in G-MAC play, tying her career high for a three-set match with 14 kills in a three-set sweep of Ursuline on Saturday and also contributing seven digs.
For the weekend, Clark averaged 3.75 kills per set and hit .400 at the net for Hillsdale. It’s part of a season where the senior has put up a career-high 190 kills, third-most among Charger players, as well as 27 blocks.
Clark was originally supposed to graduate last year, but a devastating leg injury in 2019 forced her to redshirt, and last year’s cancellation of the fall NCAA Division II championships due to the Covid-19 pandemic provided her with even more reason to stay for an extra year.
Her play so far this season is proof that she’s moved well past those setbacks and has returned to being one of the top offensive players at the net in the G-MAC. She currently ranks 11th among all players in the conference in kills per set.
Clark and her Hillsdale teammates continued to roll this following week, taking down Trevecca Nazarene and Ashland to win a fifth-straight G-MAC Tournament title and wrap up play heading into the NCAA Tournament with a 27-4 record. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.