Nov. 20, 2024

Ferris State volleyball standout Olivia Henneman-Dallape thrives as a Nursing student and athlete for nation's top-ranked team

Humble, hard-working Olivia Henneman-Dallape is excelling on the court for the nationally top-ranked Ferris State University volleyball team, and through the rigor of the College of Health Professions' Nursing program, among the most challenging majors a student-athlete can pursue.

“Being in Nursing, as a student-athlete, is definitely challenging,” said the 6-foot-2 Henneman-Dallape. The Oregon, Ohio native is among the leaders of a Bulldog volleyball team that completed its 2024 regular season with a 28-0 record and as the champions of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Henneman-Dallape credits the Ferris State staff led by head coach Tia Brandel-Wilhelm with helping her embody the spirit of the student-athlete.

“Tia does a great job of making sure school comes first and helping me work around that so I can be successful as a student and as an athlete,” said Henneman-Dallape, a GLIAC All-Academic selection as a junior for the Bulldogs. “Tia puts in a lot of time outside the gym with me so I can work on what I've had to miss at practices. Being in our nursing program while being an athlete takes a lot of time management.”

That time management includes budgeting for 140 nursing clinical hours this semester toward completing her program. Henneman-Dallape is confident the work will pay off.

“I know it's going to be worth it to have team success on the court and to graduate from Ferris State prepared for my professional career,” she said.

On the court, Henneman-Dallape and her teammates are having great team success on the eve of the GLIAC Tournament. Their focus in the post-season will not deviate from the norm – taking it one match at a time.

Ferris State did not start its 2024 season seeking anything other than steady improvement with every weight room workout, film study session, practice and match.

“I don't think we had a specific expectation,” Henneman-Dallape said. “During the summer, we focused on putting in the work we needed to help us get better and to be ready for the start of the season. We wanted to build on what we did during spring and what we experienced on our team's trip to Spain. That international trip gave us more time to come together as teammates and work together even better.”

In May, Henneman-Dallape and her teammates enjoyed a 10-day trip to compete in volleyball in Spain and Portugal, testing themselves against foreign competition, learning more about each other and experiencing a unique cultural enrichment opportunity in Europe.

“Spain was a great bonding experience for us,” she said. “We had the time and allowed ourselves to get to know each other better, helping us make a greater connection as teammates. It's hard to explain. Sometimes, I get goosebumps thinking and talking about how great an experience it was for us.”

The start of the 2024 season has been a great experience. A highlight came in the team's season-opening win, a five-set road victory over then nationally third-ranked West Texas A&M -- currently No. 6 -- where Henneman-Dallape recorded a season-high 23 kills.  

The performance builds off great sophomore and junior campaigns, where Henneman-Dallape had 417 and a career-best 486 kills.

Henneman-Dallape has thrived this season with a team-best 391 kills, starting all 28 matches, on a .343 attack percentage for the senior-rich Bulldogs. Her fellow seniors include libero Leah Bylut, setter Kaylee Maat, outside hitter Claire Nowicki, middle hitter Syann Fairfield, outside hitter Hannah Tecumseh, middle hitter Chelsie Freeman and outside hitter Tatum Outlaw.

The outside hitter earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors six times in 10 weeks – including the first five weeks. But Henneman-Dallape doesn’t take credit for the accolades.

“Our focus is team success,” she said. “I know that if I'm getting a lot of kills, it's because Kaylee's working hard to get me a good ball or Leah is passing the ball well to get it to Kaylee. We're working hard and we're working together as a team. That's what it takes to be successful.”

Maat has been named GLIAC Setter of the Week five times in 2024.

Success is often measured by wins and losses, but Henneman-Dallape savors her whole student-athlete experience and is happy to share it with a group of great friends.

“I would say our chemistry and friendships are what I love most about being on this team,” she said. “I have a friendship with each person on our team. While we have different ways of connecting, we're here to work together to be the best we can be as a team.”

The Bulldogs, the top seed in the upcoming GLIAC Tournament, will host Purdue Northwest in Bulldog Arena in a quarterfinal match at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20. The Bulldogs will host the semifinals on Nov. 23 and championship match on Nov. 24 with a quarterfinal win over the Pride.