Kelsey Ackerman | Sports Co-Editor
A year after being named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Central Region Freshman of the Year as well as honorable mention, sophomore Beaver volleyball player Jade Schaap was named to AVCA Central Region First-Team.
This is the first time in program history a Buena Vista University (BVU) volleyball player has been selected to the 14-member All-Region team.
Assistant-Coach Micah Rhodes knew that she would surpass her freshman year awards as soon as the offseason started and he began to see the work ethic Schaap had. He knew her volleyball talent was not what needed improvement, it was more of her vocal skill on the court.
Schaap came to BVU from Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa. Schaap helped the Wolfpack volleyball team to three state runner-up finishes.
“As hard as it may be to believe, Jade was not the standout star on her high school team, which is a testament to the Western Christian program. She was never asked to consistently be the kills leader or to lead by example. Following her freshman campaign when she established herself as the ‘real deal’, I knew she was going to need to become a more vocal and confident leader,” Rhodes said.
Schaap agreed with Rhodes on that part of her game, “A goal I had for myself was to be a more physical and vocal leader out on the court. The physical part came easy. The vocal part was something I had to work at everyday and by the end of the season I think it was really starting to show.”
Prior to the All Central Region honors, Schaap was also named to the first team All-Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (IIAC). Schaap ended the season ranked seventh nationally in total kills (516) and 38th in kills per set (3.91).
Schaap contributes a lot of her success to her coaches and teammates. She uses her teammates in a way to push herself in every practice, as well as using their encouragement to keep her up when she’s down.
“Every time they clocked me, tooled me, aced me, got a kill on me; that just leads to becoming a better player for everyone. I had wonderful teammates who encouraged me this year to keep swinging even if I had just made two mistakes in a row,” Schaap said.
Schaap has no doubt that within her final two seasons at BVU, the team will become conference champions because of how hard they work and the determination they have.
Rhodes along with Schaaps’ teammates know that Schaap isn’t done growing yet. With her work ethic and desire to learn along with the high expectations she is always setting for herself, she is sure to achieve not only personal greatness, but will help her team to great successes.
“For Jade, the sky is the limit. She’s proven herself as one of the top outside hitters in the nation, now it’s a matter of maintaining that level of play and expectation. For as good as Jade is, I still have higher goals and think she can become an even better all-around player,” Rhodes said.
The AVCA All Central Region first-team selection, put Schaap in the running for All-American honors. Schaap received honorable mention AVCA All-American on Nov. 18. This is the first volleyball All-American honor in school history.
Photo by Charlie Webster
