Pepperdine University senior volleyball player Kim Hill recently added a new honor to her list of accomplishments when she was chosen as one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for “Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School,” the award recognizes college seniors with notable achievements in four areas of excellence: the community, classroom, character and competition. The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 candidates announced in August, and the winner will be determined by a combination of fan, coach and media votes.
Hill, 21, is Pepperdine’s first-ever finalist for the award. The senior middle blocker from Portland, Ore. is having a great season as the Pepperdine women’s volleyball team is ranked No. 17 in the country with an overall record of 14-5 and 8-0 in the West Coast Conference.
“We are off to a great start in conference,” Hill said. “We have faced some tough competition with teams ranked in the top 20 and done well so far. We are strong and really confident in ourselves.”
The Waves are searching for their first WCC championship since 2003. The program has won 10 titles overall, but a drought during the last eight years has Hill and her teammates hungry to end the streak and do well in the postseason.
“Our goal is to take the conference first,” Hill said. “If that happens, then we should be in a good position going into the postseason. If we play to our potential, we could go very far. It would be amazing for us. But the WCC championship is our number one priority right now.”
A few weeks back, Hill led Pepperdine to a significant win against Saint Mary’s College. She had a career-high 25 kills as the Waves won 25-17, 19-25, 24-26, 25-20 and 15-10. Hill also added 13 digs defensively. As a result of her efforts and Pepperdine’s first win versus the Gaels since 2008, Hill was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week for a second consecutive week.
“It was a huge win for us,” Hill said. “It was a match we needed to win. It shows the character of the team that we never give up. We have a chip on our shoulder. We worked so hard in the off-season and we want to really win the WCC title. For the Pepperdine program it would be great.”
Hill reached the 1,000 career kills milestone on Sept. 22 in her native city of Portland in a match at the University of Portland. She currently ranks 11th all-time at Pepperdine in career kills with 1,111. On the season, Hill is averaging a team-high 3.63 kills per set (283 total) and is third on the team with 52 blocks.
In the offseason, Hill dedicated herself to a tough training regimen in preparation for the 2011 season. Weight training and conditioning were the focal points as Hill and other teammates pushed themselves daily with the high hopes of tasting the fruits of victory.
“This is my last go around and last chance to make an impact,” Hill said. “I’ve worked hard since the offseason and I want to bring my best every game. It will be sad when it’s over. It’s been the best four years ever. I am playing the game I love on a team I love.”
Once the season is complete, Hill is on track to graduate in the spring with a degree in religion. She hopes to continue her volleyball career overseas in Europe or try to make the USA women’s national volleyball program.
“I want to play volleyball for a while,” Hill said. “I’m not ready to give it up yet.”