Becky Schmidt Selected as AVCA Region 7 and MIAA Coach of the Year

Hope College's Becky Schmidt has been selected as the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Region 7 Coach of the Year and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Women's Volleyball Coach of the Year for the 2023 season.

In her 20th season, Schmidt guided the Flying Dutch to a 27-2 during the regular season, an unbeaten league season, an MIAA regular-season championship and an MIAA Tournament title.

Schmidt's career record as a coach is 532-162 over 23 seasons, including three at the University of California Redlands. She led Hope to a national championship in 2014.

A 1999 Hope graduate, Schmidt played middle blocker for the Flying Dutch 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, Schmidt became the first Hope volleyball student-athlete to receive NCAA Division III All-American honors. She was also awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

This season Schmidt also coached three AVCA all-region honorees, including MIAA MVP and junior outside hitter Addie VanderWeide (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids), and four All-MIAA honorees.

VanderWeide was joined on the All-Region and All-MIAA Teams by sophomore first-team setter Lauren Lee (Plymouth, Michigan / Saline) and junior second-team middle blocker Alison DeWeerd (Kentwood, Michigan / South Christian). Freshman second-team middle blocker Kamryn Burbridge (Grand Haven, Michigan / Grand Haven) was an All-MIAA selection.

Hope (27-2 overall) is ranked second in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll.

The Flying Dutch are hosting an eight-team NCAA regional Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 16-18, at DeVos Fieldhouse. Hope's first-round match is at 7 p.m. vs. Bethany College (W. Va.).

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