"We are graduating two of the best middle hitters to have ever put on a uniform on The Hill", noted head coach Travis Hudson. "They've got big shoes to fill with these young middles coming in the door. They're both really exciting young players with tremendous upside and we look forward to them becoming the next great middle hitters and a long legacy at Western Kentucky."
ISABELLE VAN DE WIELE | BETTENDORF, IOWA | PLEASANT VALLEY H.S. | MIDDLE HITTER
Izzy Van De Wiele a native of Bettendorf, Iowa, played her prep ball at Pleasant Valley High School and just recently helped the Spartans to the Iowa Girls 5A state championship, finishing runner-up to close out her senior season. Listed as one of the best middle hitters in the state, the 6'5" signee is skilled up top as a versatile attacker. Van De Wiele earned three letters playing volleyball at Bettendorf High School, before earning a final volleyball letter at Pleasant Valley. She closed out her senior year leading the Spartans in blocks (98), and ranked third in kills with 186.
A stellar senior season, Van De Wiele led her team to a Mississippi Athletic Conference championship where she was named to the MAC All-Conference Second Team. She picked up a spot in the IGCA Senior All-Star match -- noted as one of the top 32 seniors in the state of Iowa, selected for the Iowa vs. Illinois All-Star Match, and was tabbed AVCA All-Region in Region Six. In her junior year at Bettendorf, Van De Wiele was named to the IGCA 5A East All-District Team and holds school records for most kills and blocks in a match, and most service aces in a match.
Van De Wiele captured a Girls Junior National Championship playing for the Iowa Select Volleyball Club 17U Mizuno during the summer of 2022.
The daughter of Dave and Liz Van De Wiele, Izzy has a brother, Jacob and sister, Emily. She intends to major in education during her time on The Hill.
WORDS FROM VAN DE WIELE: "I am so grateful to have this opportunity to continue to grow as a player. I would like to thank my family and all of my teammates and coaches that have helped me! "
HUDSON ON VAN DE WIELE: "Izzy is going to be different than anyone who's ever worn the uniform. From a size-standpoint, she's 6'5", but she moves exceptionally well for her size and she comes from an area that her skill-development is not as developed as it might be in other areas. So, she's just scratching the surface of who she is as a player, but her skill-set is unlike any other that we've signed at Western Kentucky."
GABRIELLA WEIHE | NOBLESVILLE, IND. | NOBLESVILLE H.S. | MIDDLE HITTER
Gabby Weihe is a native of Noblesville. Ind, and played her prep ball at Noblesville High School. Strong in the front row, she played opposite and middle hitter for the Noblesville Millers and led her team to an improved 21-5 season during her senior year and the IHSAA Sectional Semi-Final match.
The 6'0" signee completed her final year of high school volleyball, totaling up 167 kills and 54 blocks and earned IHSAA Gold Academic All-State Honors. In her junior campaign, Weihe notched a .210 hitting clip and 161 kills in her 86 sets played, while being tabbed on the 2021 and 2022 IHSVCA Watch List.
Playing club volleyball for the The Academy 17-1 Elite Tsunami, she was named to the 2021 AVCA Phenom Watch list, 2021 and 2022 JVA Watch list, earned the 2022 AAU Volleyball Academic All-American Award, and made it to the AAU Girls' Volleyball Nationals while competing at the Adidas Midwest Championships and JVA Summerfest.
Weihe also lettered in girls' track and field, competing in the high jump.
The daughter of Robert and Dawn Weihe, Gabby has one sibiling, a sister, Josie. She intends to major in business during her time on The Hill.
WORDS FROM WEIHE: "I chose to play volleyball at WKU because of such great team culture and am so excited for the opportunity!"
HUDSON ON WEIHE: "Gabby is cut quite out of the same mold as Lauren Matthews and Katie Isenbarger, she's a little bit undersized for the middle. But, she is tremendously explosive, athletic, and versatile. She could potentially impact us in a lot of ways, from a shear athleticism standpoint, I think she's one of the top middle in the class of '23."
How to Follow WKU Volleyball: For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.
