Central Catholic Grad Malinowski Helps Lead Lincoln Volleyball to 10-4 Start
Bloomington Central Catholic’s Madelyn Malinowski has been a team leader for the Lincoln College volleyball team.

[September 19, 2017]  The Lincoln College Women’s Volleyball team is off to one of the strongest starts in recent history and that is in no small part to Bloomington’s Madelyn Malinowski. As Lincoln College moved into the middle of the season, they stood at 10-4 for the season and 3-1 in Region 24 play as of mid-September.

Head Coach Mark Tippett believes much of the Lady Lynx early season success is due to the contributions of freshman outside hitter Malinowski. Malinowski, a 2017 graduate of Bloomington Central Catholic High School, has played in all 14 matches this season. In that short time, she has proven herself to be a valuable offensive and defensive player for the Lady Lynx. She currently leads the team in kills with 162 for a 3.38 kills per set average and a .270 hitting percentage. Her kills per set average has her ranked in the top 25 hitters in the nation at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II level.

Malinowski credits much of the ease of her transition to the college game to the experience she gained as an elite level club and high school player.

“I played six years of club volleyball at Illini Elite where I learned a lot about the game and got to compete at a high level,” said Malinowski.

“I also think the experience I gained playing at State with Central Catholic got me ready for the pressure of playing in college,” she added.

Madelyn was a member of the 2015 State champion volleyball team from BCC as well as the team that finished third in 2016. In addition, she made two State tournament appearances with the girls’ basketball team.

The LC standout has also shown the ability to affect the game from behind the service line. Her 15 aces are second on the team and she is among the team leaders in points scored per set.

Defensively, she has contributed positively as a blocker and often plays through the back row. The 5’10” Malinowski has recorded ten blocks so far this season and is second on the team in digs with 80.

Coach Tippett is impressed with the way Malinowski has handled the transition to college volleyball.

“Maddie came in the door ready to go as a hitter,” Tippett said. “She has a great command of the ball in that she can swing for power as well as place shots in areas that will make it difficult for the defense to react.”

“She is one of our primary passers as well, and has impressed us all with her work ethic and dedication to becoming a consistent passer for us in serve receive,” said Tippett.

Malinowski credits much of her comfort level on the court to her teammates and to the close proximity of Lincoln College to home. She said, “The returning players on the team were very welcoming to me, and I have known some of them for a long time, which helped a lot. We have a lot of fun on the court, and I love the energy level that our players play with.”

The Bloomington native says she chose Lincoln College because of the volleyball program and because it was close to home.

“It’s great that my family members can attend all of my home matches and most of the away ones as well,” Malinowski said.

As the team prepares to move into the middle of their schedule, Malinowki is looking forward to seeing how much they can continue to improve.

“Passing is always something any team needs to work on, so I will try to keep working hard on that,” she said.

This will be the final season for Lincoln competing in the NJCAA. Beginning in the fall of 2018, all athletics programs at LC will be moving to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Coach Tippett is happy to have young players like Malinowski on his roster to help make the transition to four-year competition next season.

“I have enjoyed coaching Maddie a great deal, and I look forward to seeing her continue to grow as a player in the years to come,” he said.

[Mark Tippett
Lincoln College
Sports Information]