INDIANAPOLIS – Nationally ranked Hillsdale continued its torrid early season run to earn both Great Midwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Players of the Week awards as announced on Monday afternoon.
 
The 19th-ranked Chargers hosted their own tournament and reeled off wins over Ashland, Northwood, Clarion and No. 16 ranked Palm Beach Atlantic, led by former Cedarville head coach Doug Walters.
 
Hillsdale is off to the races at 7-1 overall while both Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene polished off perfect weeks and are winners of five straight. Alderson Broaddus and Walsh each won three games gearing up for the league schedule, which begins Friday, Sept. 27.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
Allyssa Van Wienen
Hillsdale
Middle Blocker
Junior
Grand Rapids, MI (Grand Rapids Christian HS)
 
As the reigning Sports Imports/AVCA Division II National Player of the Week, Van Wienen put up staggering numbers once again as the Chargers had a perfect four-match stretch.
 
The junior middle hit over .450 in 16 sets played and averaged four kills per game. She was also named MVP of the Hillsdale Volleyball Tournament.
 
Versus the nationally ranked Sailfish from PBA, Van Wienen had 19 kills on 37 swings for a .459 hitting percentage. She was unstoppable against Northwood with a .696 hitting percentage, ending with 16 kills on just 23 swings.
 
Defensively, she was just as stout up front, stuffing Northwood for a total of 11 blocks. It was a number that ranks tied for the second most total blocks in a match in conference history (12 is the all-time record).
 
Van Wienen finished with 64 kills vs. just nine attacking errors on 121 total attempts during the week. She currently ranks second in the Great Midwest in hitting percentage, third in kills and also third in blocks.
 
Van Wienen was also the conference offensive player of the week to start the fall as Hillsdale went 3-1 down in Florida at the Terrace Hotel Classic. The Chargers should continue to rise in the new AVCA National Poll.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Taylor Wiese
Hillsdale
Defensive Specialist/Libero
Junior
Mattawan, MI (Mattawan HS)
 
Wiese, a first team all-conference libero, returned to the court for her first action of the 2019 season recovering from a stress fracture. She has been a big piece of the puzzle during Hillsdale’s dominant two-year run as a league member.
 
The junior responded with Outstanding Libero honors at the Hillsdale Volleyball Tournament as the Chargers won all four matches.
 
Wiese averaged 5.4 digs per set and joined the AVCA’s 30-dig club for the third time in her career. She recorded 30 digs in the five-set win over No. 16 Palm Beach Atlantic.
 
She also led the team in digs vs. Ashland (23), Clarion (17) and Northwood (17).
 
This is her second career conference weekly honor after being named West Division Player of the Week in 2018.