The Hillsdale College volleyball team dominated the Great Midwest Athletic Conference from joining the league in 2017 to 2023, winning seven straight conference titles and going 103-7 in G-MAC play in that span.

It's only fitting that one of the driving forces behind that dominance is the first Hillsdale player to earn induction into the G-MAC Hall of Fame.

Paige Hornak, nee VanderWall, has been selected by the G-MAC to be inducted into the conference's Hall of Fame this spring. She'll be officially welcomed to the Hall of Fame at the G-MAC's annual spring awards banquet in Blue Ash, Ohio, on May 19.
"Whenever you saw Paige take the court for Hillsdale, you could tell right away what a competitor she was. Then, you'd see her take flight and put a massive spike on the ball and you could tell instantly what a gifted athlete and talented player she was as well," said Hillsdale College Athletic Director John Tharp. "What set Paige apart was the way her actions and demeanor on the court inspired and brought out the best not just in her teammates, but in all of us watching too. She's truly a special player and person and deserving to be in the Hall of Fame."

VanderWall was the top player and a leader on those first G-MAC teams in 2017 and 2018 that established Hillsdale's run of dominance in the conference. A powerful hitter on the right side, VanderWall helped lead the Chargers to a 32-2 conference record in the G-MAC, back-to-back regular season and tournament titles, and two NCAA Tournament appearances. She was voted the top player in the conference both seasons, and still reigns as the only two-time G-MAC Volleyball Player of the Year in conference history.

The 2019 graduate of Hillsdale also earned significant national recognition for her play as well, earning AVCA All-Region honors in both seasons, as well as back-to-back AVCA All-American honors (second team in 2017, third team in 2018) and D2CCA second team All-American honors in 2018. She is one of just seven consensus NCAA DII All-Americans in program history, and one of just four Chargers to be named the Midwest Region Player of the Year, earning that honor as a senior in 2018.

VanderWall is all over the Hillsdale College record book. She still holds the mark for most kills in a four-set match with 27 against Ashland on Oct. 13, 2018, and that mark ranks second across all matches regardless of length at Hillsdale. VanderWall also holds the Chargers single-season record for kills per set with 4.17 in 2018, and her 417 kills that season ranks fourth all-time at Hillsdale.

She also made her mark on the G-MAC record book as well, ranking second all-time with a career .328 hitting percentage, and fourth in G-MAC history with a career 3.60 kills per set.

Her 1,293 career kills rank seventh all-time at Hillsdale, an impressive number given that VanderWall missed significant chunks of her freshman and sophomore seasons with an ACL tear.

It was VanderWall's response to that early setback that defined her career at Hillsdale. She attacked rehab from that injury and came back stronger on the court than when she left. Her resilience in the face of adversity helped fuel her amazing two-year run in the G-MAC and inspired both her teammates and all of Hillsdale College to be great on and off the court.

"Paige is just a fearless and driven competitor who refused to let any adversity she encountered slow her down or hold her back," said Hillsdale head coach Chris Gravel. "From day one, she was all about winning and making everyone around her the best they could be. To overcome what she overcame from an injury perspective and achieve the things she achieved takes a special person with a special mindset, and Paige had all that from the moment she first stepped on the court for us."  

VanderWall will be inducted into the G-MAC Hall of Fame along with Malone football and track and field star Ashton Dulin. The pair make up the fourth class to join the G-MAC Hall of Fame since its founding in 2023. You can find out more information about the G-MAC Hall of Fame here.