Five Highland Community College sophomore volleyball players have been recognized by the NJCAA for their excellent performances in the classroom for the 2012-2013 academic year.  Jessica Hobbs (Wamego), Erica Rottinghaus (Seneca), and Lisa Malchow (Highland) have been awarded the Superior Academic Achievement Award.  This award recognizes student athletes who maintain at 3.8 grade point average (gpa) or higher, on a 4.0 scale.  Chrissy Koepke (Overland Park) and Kelsee Wright (Topeka) have been awarded the Exemplary Academic Achievement Award.  This award recognizes student athletes who maintain a 3.5 gpa or higher.  

These Scotties established a strong work ethic on the court as freshmen and continued their great work ethic into the classroom.  All six sophomores will be moving on to four year universities, and Hobbs (Missouri Valley), Rottinghaus (Missouri Western), and Koepke (Central Methodist) will continue their volleyball careers. 

The Highland volleyball team ranked second this year of all volleyball programs in the NJCAA with a team gpa of 3.58.  They were kept from the top spot by only .02 by fellow Jayhawk Conference member Fort Scott, which had a 3.60 overall gpa. Highland volleyball, under Head Coach Diana Gaddis, is very proud of the hard work demonstrated in the classroom by its team members throughout the 2012-2013 school year.