Hunter and Madison Weiss excelled on and off the volleyball court in their stellar carers at the Higher education of Saint Benedict.
The twin sisters, who are 2017 Shakopee Large School graduates, had their senior time complex by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bennies performed in just 6 overall matches.
There ended up no MIAC and NCAA actively playing honors for the sisters, but there were being academic kinds, alongside with a a good deal of recollections about the past 5 a long time.
Academic honors
Hunter acquired her diploma in biology and a had cumulative 4. grade-level normal. She also gained the 2020-21 CoSIDA Educational All-The usa Staff Member of the Year honors for Division III women’s volleyball.
Hunter is only the fourth Bennie athlete ever to make that distinction and the very first since 1992. It was also her 2nd time earning CoSIDA Educational All-The us first group honors. She’s a person of six athletes in faculty record to obtain that.
Meanwhile, Madison graduated with a 3.88 grade-level normal, while also earning a diploma in biology. She acquired CoSIDA Educational All-American 2nd staff honors.
The Weiss sisters are only the next teammates in faculty background to earn educational All-American honors. The initial teammates to pull that off arrived in 1992.
“Earning the educational honors was magnificent,” Hunter said. “It was excellent to be recognized for all the tricky function that I put in in excess of the several years. My experience was wonderful with St. Ben’s volleyball.
“I was privileged to not only have a really fantastic group, but also to have really superior teammates that manufactured the practical experience unforgettable,” she included.
For Madison, achieving in the classroom proved to her that hard perform does pay back off.
“Overall, I cherished all the things about volleyball at St. Ben’s,” she said. “I achieved some remarkable people today and experienced so significantly entertaining traveling and participating in volleyball.”
Courtroom accolades
The Weiss sisters also shined on the court docket for the Bennies.
Hunter graduated eighth in program history with 1,235 kills. Her strike share was almost .400 as a junior in 2019, and she was 1 of just a few non-middle hitters rated in the best 50 in Division III in hitting percentage. She also had 343 career blocks.
Hunter also attained All-MIAC initially staff honors a few times. She won the MIAC Athlete of the Week 4 periods.
Madison is the second athlete in faculty history to end a vocation with a lot more than 1,000 kills and 500 blocks. She also established the school report for blocks in a time in 2019.
Madison concluded the 2020-21 period with a .265 hitting percentage and ended up with a .357 hitting share.
In 2019, Madison led all concentrations of NCAA volleyball with 205 complete blocks and finished very first in the MIAC and in Division III with 1.75 blocks per set and a .422 hitting share.
The Bennies also experienced a ton of results as a staff. In 2019, the workforce experienced a 26-6 history and got to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division III event.
The Bennies acquired a 3-2 earn in excess of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Issue in the regional remaining to get to the last 8. Hunter and Madison blended for 39 kills in that five-set match, having 21 and 18, respectively. Madison also experienced a match-superior 10 blocks, whilst Hunter experienced six.
“One of my favorite memories was the regional championship activity that we gained that despatched us to the Elite 8,” said Madison, who looks to go after a vocation in public health and sports diet. “It was so aggressive and these a high strength game.”
Hunter reported successful the regional championship was also a highlight in her playing job.
“Experiencing the Elite 8 and staying there was so exclusive and a once in a life time encounter,” explained Hunter, who programs to pursue a occupation in the psychology industry.