Among liberos in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, Hillsdale College freshman Alli Wiese has been having a special year.
Wiese has been either first or second in the conference in digs per set for the entire 2021 campaign, and won two prior G-MAC North Division Defensive Player of the Week awards.
After a weekend that was excellent even by the lofty standards that she's already set so far, Wiese has been honored once again, as the conference office announced on Wednesday morning that she has been named G-MAC North Division Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in the 2021 season.
Wiese had two big performances in conference matches on Friday and Saturday, recording 22 digs in the Chargers' three-set sweep of G-MAC South Division leader Ashland on Friday, and adding another 19 digs in Hillsdale's sweep of Tiffin on Saturday. For the two matches, Wiese averaged 6.38 digs per set, well above her G-MAC-leading season average of 5.39 digs per set.
The freshman from Mattawan, Michigan also chipped in two aces and remains fifth in the G-MAC in aces per set, with 0.37, adding another offensive dimension to her top-notch defensive game.
Wiese's latest recognition is just the most recent in a string of honors for the Mattawan, Michigan native, who's actually in her second season with Hillsdale but who retains her freshman eligibility thanks to a waiver extended by the NCAA after the cancellation of the 2020-21 Fall Division II championships during the Covid-19 pandemic. Wiese was first-team All-G-MAC in the abbreviated spring season last year, and also led the conference in service aces per set, while finishing second in digs per set.
The Chargers and Wiese are in action this weekend on the road against G-MAC opponents Malone on Friday and Walsh on Saturday for their next contests.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22