Among back-row players in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference this season, Alli Wiese has been in a league of her own so far.
The freshman libero leads the conference in digs (201) and has a substantial edge over the rest of the league in digs per set (5.58), while helping the 17th-ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team boast one of the top defenses in the G-MAC.
And Wiese continues to be recognized for her outstanding play. For the second-straight week and the third time in her career, the G-MAC office named Wiese the G-MAC North Division Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday morning.
The award comes after stellar performances in four-set Charger victories over Malone and Walsh to start the season. Wiese racked up 19 digs against the Pioneers and 28 against the Cavaliers to help Hillsdale open G-MAC play with a perfect 2-0 record.
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.
Nationally, Wiese’s 5.58 digs per set average so far places her in the top 25 in the country in Division II.
Wiese and the Chargers (8-2, 2-0 G-MAC) hit the road this weekend for two G-MAC matches, playing Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday at 8 p.m. and Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22