Pair inducted into Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame

Charlotte, NC – The NJCAA has announced two honorees to be inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Former student-athlete Emily Orrick of Lincoln Land (IL) and head coach Paula Wiedemann of West Plains, MO have been admitted to the 2021 class.

Paula Wiedemann

Head Coach – Missouri State-West Plains / East Central (MO)

Paula Wiedemann, a native of Jenks, OK, has been a part of the Missouri State-West Plains volleyball program for the past 23 years. In her 12th season as the Grizzlies' head coach, Wiedemann added Athletic Director to her resume at the beginning of the 2020-21 season.

Wiedemann proved excellence as a player early on and later as a coach. During time as a student-athlete at Drury University in Springfield, MO, Wiedemann was the first volleyball player to receive NAIA All-American honors with an honorable mention in 1987. Following a successful career at Drury, Wiedmann ranked first in career kills and career digs, the latter of which is second on the all-time list for NAIA records nationwide.

On and off the court, Wiedemann has dominated the game of volleyball as a professional player and a coach, serving as the starting outside hitter for the Kansas City Lightning of the National Volleyball Association. She was also a member of the Power Angle, a USAV women's team and has a record of being a two-time All-American in 1997 and 1998.

The Missouri State-West Plains Grizzlies saw success early on under Wiedemann's direction, closing out their first season together with a 29-7 record and a second-place finish in the 2009 NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship. Wiedemann has led the Grizzlies to six national tournament appearances in her tenure as head coach, including an upcoming appearance at the 2020-21 NJCAA DI Volleyball Championship set to be held on April 15-17 on the Grizzlies' home court at the West Plains Civic Center in West Plains, MO. 

Wiedemann's dedication to her student-athletes has set the standard for coaching, as she has led the Grizzlies to countless victories, facilitating an environment that leads players to their highest potential. The coach has developed 35 NJCAA All-Americans, 122 All-Region 16 players, and 31 NJCAA Academic All-Americans. An overall record of 923-281 as an assistant and head coach proves her dominance and consistency as a coach.

An opportunity as a head coach for the first time came in August 1992 at East Central College in Union, MO, where Widemann led the Lady Rebels to a Region 16 championship semifinal appearances for three consecutive years. She has also served as program director/coach for Junior Olympic volleyball programs for 18 years.

Wiedemann's triumphant career and the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at the upcoming 2020-21 NJCAA DI Volleyball Championship. 

Emily Orrick

Student-Athlete - Lincoln Land Community College (IL)

At Lincoln Land from 2011-12, Emily Orrick was known to be one of the most dominant volleyball players at the two-year college level. Orrick's dedication to the sport of volleyball has earned high levels of success as a player and a coach.

Orrick began her collegiate career with the Loggers 2011, playing for two seasons. Orrick's accomplishments consist of a lengthy list of regional and conference selections, including: two-time NJCAA All-America honoree, two-time All-Region 24, an All-Conference selection for Lincoln Land, and was named the conference's freshman of the year in 2011.

Today, Orrick continues to hold Lincoln Land program records and has maintained her status as one of the best players to come out of the program. She currently holds the Lincoln Land career record for digs with 2,048, and led the NJCAA in digs in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons. She was the first two-time All-American in Lincoln Land history and was a valuable part of the team that led the Loggers to its first NJCAA DII Volleyball Championship appearance in program history in 2012.

Upon finishing at Lincoln Land, Orrick went on to play for the Illinois State Redbirds. While there, she received numerous honors and proved herself an undeniable asset on the court. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference Libero of the Year two years in a row and named Illinois State's Linda Herman Most Valuable Player as a junior. She earned AVCA All-American honorable mention selection her senior year and also earned AVCA All-Region honors. Her dominance as a player helped spur her passion and success as a coach.

Orrick went on to work for the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Volleyball staff as a graduate assistant where she earned her Master of Science in Kinesiology and Sports Studies with a Sport Management focus. During her time with the Bucs, they made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances including the program's highest win total in 35 years.

Following her time at ETSU, Orrick joined the University of Alabama volleyball staff as its Director of Operations in 2019. Orrick continues to work for the University of Alabama as the Operations Coordinator and Assistant Coach.

Jim Dietz, the head coach of Lincoln Land Community College, nominated Orrick for the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame which she will be inducted into in the coming weeks. Dietz has spoken to Orrick's abilities stating that she is the best libero to ever play at the NJCAA level.