Oct. 7, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College is saluting its 2012 national champion volleyball team at Friday’s homecoming, honoring the college’s first women’s team to earn a national title.
Alumni from the championship team will be recognized between sets of Friday’s volleyball match between GRCC, which is riding a 14-match winning streak, and North Central Michigan College.
The game starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse, 111 Lyon Street NE. Admission is $5, with GRCC students and employees admitted for free with their RaiderCard.
A tailgate party is planned for 4-6:30 p.m. on the Dr. Juan R. Olivarez Student Plaza, with hamburgers, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. The event is open to the public.
“Homecoming is an opportunity to highlight our national champions, but also celebrate all GRCC alumni – and those who will be alumni someday,” said Jenna VandeKamp, heads alumni efforts for the GRCC Foundation. “There is tremendous pride in our college, and the impact it has on residents and our greater community.”
The 2012 team was led by Kaitlyn Wolters, who was named a First Team All-American and the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Player of the Year.
The team survived a five-set match in the semifinal round of the national tournament, battling Parkland College of Champaign, Ill., which was ranked No. 3 in the nation. GRCC lost the first two sets, and fell behind 8-3 in the third set, before winning two straight to force a fifth set, which it won 16-14 to reach the finals.
In the championship match, GRCC faced the top-ranked team in the country, Cowley College of Arkansas City, Kan. The Raiders swept Cowley, which had been unbeaten, to claim GRCC’s first national title in volleyball.
“A lot of that match was on adrenaline,” coach Chip Will told MLive after the match. “From day one, when they came into this program, they talked about winning a national title, and so adrenaline helped push them through the soreness and some of the tiredness.”
Wolters was named tournament Most Valuable Player, recording 32 assists and seven kills in the final match.
Along the way to winning the title, the Raiders defeated 12 nationally ranked teams and ended the season on a 30-match win streak, finishing with a 39-1 record. The 39 wins remain a team record for the volleyball program.
Wolters is expected to be among the team members attending the homecoming game. Other team members are Nicole Czehowksi, Karleigh Strazisar, Taylor Meyer, Kendall Wolffis, Tayler Friend, Molly Maynard, Hannah Geelhoed, Emily Johnson, Kourtney Wolters, and Amy Vander Wal
Will is still guiding the team, winning his 400th match last season. Joining him at the celebration are coaches Megan Kulak, Staci Johnson and Joe Murray.