Addie VanderWeide, Lauren Lee and Alison DeWeerd quickly meshed on the volleyball court and propelled Hope College into becoming MIAA champions and national title contenders.
The new teammates also separated themselves as among the best in all of NCAA Division III while leading the second-ranked Flying Dutch (30-2) into the national quarterfinals for the fifth time in program history.
VanderWeide and Lee have been selected as American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Americans for the 2023 season. DeWeerd, a middle blocker, received Honorable-Mention All-America honors.
VanderWeide, an outside hitter, is one of 14 first-team honorees. Lee, a setter, is one of 14 second-team recipients,
It is the fourth time in program history the Flying Dutch have received multiple All-America first-, second- or third-team honors in the same season. VanderWeide and Lee follow McKenna Otto and Tracy Westra (2021 fall season); Jenna Grasmeyer and Lauren Hazekamp (2014); and Courtney Earles, Jenna Grasmeyer and Lauren Hazekamp (2013).
Hope’s total of All-America recipients is now 15.
VanderWeide (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian HS) excelled as an outside hitter in her first season at Hope after transferring from the University of Iowa.
A six-rotation player, VanderWeide ranked among the national leaders and topped the MIAA in kills per set at 4.34. The business major also recorded 298 digs and served 30 aces.
VanderWeide surpassed double-digit kills in 28 matches, including a season-high 28 against Washington University in St. Louis on Sept. 2.
MIAA coaches chose VanderWeide as the MIAA Volleyball Player of the Year.
“Addie has been has been a rock over on the left side for us. She has been able to find ways to get kills in very difficult situations,” head coach Becky Schmidt said. ” Then, when the situations stack up for her, she’s able to put a ball down in a way that just gains momentum and finds ways to be able to stress an opponent’s defense. Even when you know that said hit is 10 feet off the bat and having to tap into it or jump backwards to be able to hit it, she can still make something out of that ball.
“She is super difficult to read as a defensive player. There are just things that she is able to do out there that I don’t see coming that I would imagine the opponent defense doesn’t see coming. She just keeps teams off balance.”
Lee (Plymouth, Michigan / Saline) is the fourth different Flying Dutch student-athletes to claim All-America honors multiple times.
The biology major joins Otto (2021 fall, 2019), Hazekamp (2013-2015) and Grasmeyer (2012-14).
This season, Lee is tied for third in Division III with 11.10 assists per set. The two-time, All-MIAA First Team selection recorded at least 25 assists in every match this season, including at least 50 in six matches.
Lee already has surpassed her career-high in kills and is on pace to set a career-best for assist per set average
Under Lee’s direction this season, Hope ranks seventh in the nation in team kills per set at 13.72 and ninth in hitting percentage at .254.
In 2022, Lee was named to the AVCA All-America First Team and as the AVCA and MIAA Freshman of the Year.
“A lot of the things that earned her recognition last year she has continued to do this year,” Schmidt said. “I think the real development we’ve seen this season has been in the way she interacts with her hitters, the ways she takes and gives feedback and manages the role being a setter requires.”
Lee has flourished while working with several new hitters, including VanderWeide.
“And, we’ve had a lot of people in and out of the lineup,” Schmidt said. “Trying to figure out a lot of different people’s nuances is hard. Sometimes that was going to change from set to set. There’s just a lot on her plate this year. What she’s done from a leadership standpoint has amped up her game.”
DeWeerd (Kentwood, Michigan / South Christian) achieved AVCA Honorable Mention All-America distinction for the first time.
The social work major ranks second on the Flying Dutch in both kills per set at 2.42 and blocks per set at 0.87. DeWeerd earned her second All-MIAA honor this season and first as a first-team selection.
“Alison has been a steady force at the net all season long,” Schmidt said. “She works tirelessly to make herself available to our setter and is a tenacious blocker. Her skills are great, but the confidence and leadership she brings to our court might be her greatest contribution to our success.”
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