INDIANAPOLIS— The Great Midwest Athletic Conference posted another successful volleyball season with two teams qualifying for the national tournament and several student-athletes earning post-season honors.
Hillsdale was crowned tournament champions for the sixth consecutive year, earning an automatic bid as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region.
In only their second year as Great Midwest members, Ashland was selected as the host-site for the 2022 volleyball championship. The Eagles won the regular season with a conference record of 16-1. They earned the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament before falling to Ferris State in the opening round of the Midwest Regional.
At the individual level, a handful of student-athletes were recognized for their performances on the court and in the classroom.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released their 2022 All-Region and All-America selections for this past season.
Findlay’s Journey Blevins, the Great Midwest Player of the Year, was awarded Third-Team All-American honors by the D2CCA as well as All-Midwest Region First-Team. The 5-11 Sophomore led the league in points with 516.5, ranking eighth in the country. Blevins was also named Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Region by the AVCA. Freshman Alana Pohlman was also honored during the post-season as she earned All-Region Honorable Mention honors by the AVCA.
A pair of Hillsdale Chargers also earned post-season honors. Karoline Shelton made AVCA’s All-American Third-Team for the second straight season. For the third straight season, Shelton was also recognized by the D2CCA as she was selected for All-Region honors for the Midwest Region. Joining Shelton is Sophomore Libero Alli Wiese, who earned AVCA honorable mention All-American honors. Both Shelton and Wiese were named to AVCA Midwest All-Region team.
Ashland’s Erin Krupar joins Shelton, Wiese, and Blevins on the AVCA All-Region team for the Midwest region. Krupar was also named AVCA honorable mention All-American. She finished her final season as an Eagle with 349 kills, 21 assists, and 295 digs. Setter Zoey Peck was recognized as All-Region Honorable Mention.
In addition to a successful season on the court, student-athletes were also recognized for their performance in the classroom. Several Great Midwest athletes were named to the Academic All-District Team. Since 1952, the Academic All-District Award recognizes academic and athletic achievement by student athletes. The award requires a GPA of 3.5 or better. The 2022 Academic All-District Volleyball Team was announced Nov. 22, which featured 13 student-athletes from the Great Midwest.
2022 CSC Academic All-District Team
Makenna Belcher,
Ashland University
Anna Krikke,
Ashland University
Zoey Peck,
Ashland University
Stephanie Smith,
Ashland University
Mallory Delamarter,
Cedarville University
Marilyn Popplewell,
Hillsdale College
Alli Wiese,
Hillsdale College
Kenedi Goon,
Tiffin University
Diana Heitkamp,
Tiffin University
Taylor Peterson,
Tiffin University
Josephine Reinhart,
Tiffin University
Ava Doster,
University of Findlay
Emma Meyer,
University of Findlay