2017 Great Midwest All-Conference Volleyball Team (PDF)


HILLSDALE, Mich. – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship banquet on the campus of host Hillsdale College featured the introduction of the annual all-conference team with 24 total student-athletes honored throughout Wednesday evening.

Voting for the all-conference team with first and second-team members was conducted by the league’s head coaches.
 
Many new faces made their first appearance on the Great Midwest All-Conference Team with five schools joining the mix as part of a new divisional format for the 2017 campaign.
 
Leading the way with six total honorees was Hillsdale, co-champion of the West Division this season. The Chargers also swept the individual awards with the receipt of conference player of the year, freshman of the year and coach of the year.
 
Co-West Division champ Findlay and East Division title winner Lake Erie each had five total all-conference selections.
 
The league showcased young talent on this year’s prestigious list with 19 of the 24 all-conference selections scheduled to return to competition next season with eligibility remaining.
 
A trio of accomplished seniors appeared on the first-team ballot, Lake Erie’s Bethany Fisher (two-time East Division Player of the Week who went over 1,000 career kills), Cedarville’s Gabby Olson (2016 G-MAC Player of the Year) and Davis & Elkins’ Sasha Johnson (two-time first-team all-conference selection). A pair of seniors, Lake Erie’s Sidney Fletcher and Hillsdale’s Jackie Langer, each earned second-team accolades and were respective divisional player of the week selections this season.
 
Joining Langer from Hillsdale on the all-conference team were teammates Kara Vyletel, second in the league in kills per set (3.81), libero Taylor Wiese (league leader in digs) and freshman middle/two-time West Division Player of the Week Allyssa Van Wienen (league leader in hitting percentage).
 
The Oilers’ 25-5 regular season merited four first team all-conference selections with balanced positional representation: outside hitter Amanda Winner, middle Shelby Kin, setter Hailee Olson (league leader in assists/service aces per set) and defensive specialist Kara Scherger. Sophomore Molly Hammersmith was tabbed on the second team.
 
Earning the respect of the coaches for the top honor of Great Midwest Player of the Year was Hillsdale junior right side Paige VanderWall. VanderWall was third in the league in hitting percentage (.327), eighth in kills per set (3.07) and top six in points accounted for.
 
VanderWall helped form a fearsome front line unit that lead the conference in both hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage. She also averaged 2.51 digs per game.
 
Collecting the hardware for the best first-year distinction was Great Midwest Freshman of the Year Lindsey Mertz, also from Hillsdale, at the setter position. Mertz conquered the steep learning curve from high school to college in a hurry and averaged 10.57 assists per set while operating the league’s best offense. She was second in the league in assists, both total and per-set averages.
 
Great Midwest Coach of the Year distinction was presented to Hillsdale’s Chris Gravel. In his 22nd season at the helm of the Chargers, Gravel has guided his team to a 25-3 record that included a 15-2 record from the West Division.
 
Hillsdale reaped the rewards with a sweep of individual all-conference accolades for a season filled with impressive superlatives under Gravel’s watch. The Chargers enter the conference tournament slotted at No. 3 in the Midwest Region rankings, co-West Division champions and on a current 18-match win streak (previous-long record was 10 straight from Findlay to start the fall).
 
The Great Midwest Championship will start tomorrow in Hillsdale’s Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena at noon with four quarterfinal matches in the eight-team bracket.