Becky Schmidt made her mark on Hope volleyball as a student-athlete and is now doing it as coach of the Flying Dutch program for 10 seasons.
Ranked nationally the entire season, the 2012 Flying Dutch won more than 20 matches for the eighth consecutive season. The team finished second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) standings and received a bid to the NCAA Division III championships for a fifth consecutive year. The team ended with a 29-5 season mark.
Schmidt's nine-year Hope record thru the 2012 season is 236-68 (.776). Her collegiate coaching record, which includes three seasons (33-33) at the University of Redlands, Calif., is 274-101 (.731) which entering the 2012 season ranked 25th nationally among active NCAA Division III coaches.
Twice, Schmidt has guided the Flying Dutch thru undefeated (16-0) MIAA seasons (2005 and 2009). The 2009 team had a 34-4 mark, a school record for victories, and advanced to the final four at the NCAA championships.
Schmidt coached her 100th Hope victory on Sept. 6, 2008 when the Flying Dutch defeated Olivet. Her Hope record at that time was 100-52. She coached her 200th Hope victory on October 15, 2011 when the Flying Dutch defeated St. Benedict. Her Hope record at that time was 200-60.
In November, 2008 she was elected the NCAA Division III representative to the Board of Directors of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
Coach Schmidt had an article published in the June-July, 2008 issue of "Coaching Volleyball", the publication of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The article, "Cultivating Competition: Five Scrimmages to Kindle Your Athletes' Competitive Fire," flows from coach Schmidt's twin interests — volleyball and sports psychology.
A 1999 Hope graduate, Schmidt played middle blocker and ranked among the NCAA leaders in several statistical categories. She was voted the most valuable player in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) as both a junior and senior. As a senior she became the first Hope volleyball player to receive NCAA Division III All-American honors. She was also awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
A kinesiology major, she received departmental recognitions for her academic work. Her senior year she was presented the John Schouten Award as the college's outstanding female student-athlete.
After graduating from Hope she was a graduate assistant volleyball coach at Miami University of Ohio while completing her master's degree in Sport Behavior and Performance. Prior to returning to her alma mater, she was head coach at the University of Redlands, Calif., compiling a 38-33 record in three seasons at the NCAA Division III institution.
She has also coached volleyball club teams in Michigan, Ohio and California. In California she has coached the Redlands Dragons 18s team and helped establish a volleyball development program for 12-year-olds. In 2002 she coached a USA Athlete's International volleyball team to a gold medal in the "Down Under Games" in Australia.
Schmidt is a 1994 graduate of Holland High School. While at Hope she was involved in the Holland community, volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and Habitat for Humanity. She has continued her involvement with Habitat for Humanity in California. She also served as an assistant women's lacrosse team coach at Redlands.
Becky is married to David Fleece. David has been the announcer at Hope volleyball matches for several years.
