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 Community College and head coach Paula Wiedemann of West Plains, Missouri have been admitted to the 2021 class.
At LLCC from 2011-12, Orrick was known to be one of the most dominant volleyball players at the two-year college level. Her 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 in 2011, playing for two seasons. Her 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 LLCC, and she was named the conference’s freshman of the year in 2011.
Today, Orrick continues to hold LLCC’s program records and has maintained her status as one of the best players to come out of the program. She currently holds the LLCC 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 LLCC 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 LLCC, 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.
Orrick went on to work for the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) volleyball staff as a graduate assistant where she earned a master’s degree in kinesiology and sports studies with a sport management focus. 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, LLCC’s head volleyball coach, nominated Orrick for the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Dietz has spoken to Orrick’s abilities stating that she is the best libero to ever play at the NJCAA level.