Lindsey Mertz Philipp Still Assisting People After Hillsdale
Written by Doug Goodnough
When it comes to assists, Lindsey Mertz Philipp, ’21, is in a class by herself.
The all-time Hillsdale College women’s volleyball career assist leader spent her time on the court setting up her teammates for the kill. That happened 5,209 times.
Although her collegiate setting career is over, she is still dishing out assists. Currently an analyst for J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Birmingham, Michigan, she assists several financial advisors with clients, and one day hopes to also become an advisor.
For now, she is enjoying her role, and grateful for her time at Hillsdale College.
During her time as a Charger, the volleyball program had a string of unprecedented success. From 2017 to 2021, Hillsdale won four regular season Great Midwest Athletic Conference championships, five conference tournament championships, and qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament four times.
Philipp said her toughest decision was whether to come back for a fifth season, which was offered to college student-athletes after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The whole world had been stripped away due to COVID,” she said of the pandemic. “There were a lot of emotions that this could be the end and not having the opportunity to come back and do it all again. For me, putting my career and my life on hold to come back for another semester with other fifth years who came back as well…was (hard).”
She made the decision to return for the fall 2021 season, and she was glad she did. The Chargers rolled to a conference championship, then claimed a regional title on the way to an Elite Eight appearance, the best postseason showing in program history.
“Seeing the fruit of that (decision) and making that run was insane,” Philipp said of the 2021 season. “Everything fell into place that season to make that run. It was the coolest experience of my life. It’s something I’ll always think about.”
She said Head Coach Chris Gravel is the common denominator when it comes to why Hillsdale’s volleyball program is successful year after year.
“He recruits very high-quality people and holds them to a standard,” she said of the longtime coach. “We’re all expected to be treating everyone on the team with respect. He loves to win. He’ll do whatever he needs to do to win. He knows how to position people to get the most out of them.”
Although nearly 6 feet tall and athletic, Philipp said she realized early in her career that setting would be her best position.
“I felt like my personality really meshed with that position well,” she said. “I’ve always enjoyed seeing the success of others. I’ve never been one who needed to have the glory of the big kill itself. It’s nice to be able to pass on the ball to someone who is going to do something awesome. You have the ultimate control of how the game flows. You have a contact every time the ball comes on our side of the net. It’s really unique.”
A starter as a freshman, Philipp said playing high school and travel volleyball with her older sisters also helped her adapt to the college level of competition.
“I always was used to being younger than the girls I was playing with,” said Philipp, who was 12 years old and playing on an 18-and-under team from her native Frankenmuth, Michigan. “It gave me a lot of experience.”
She also credited the Hillsdale upperclassmen for her development.
“Taylor Bennett was the (starting) setter at the time,” Philipp said. “She was my greatest supporter. In that position, it could have been really easy for her to feel threatened by me being there and competing for the same position, but we just pushed each other to be better. She was just so graceful that whole season about supporting me in a different capacity than she probably imagined.”
An economics major, she said Dr. Michael Clark made an impact on her for a variety of reasons. She said he pushed her in the classroom, and also with one of her personal weaknesses: public speaking.
“I really struggled with public speaking, and I will never forget the way he was able to make an analogy about how public speaking was really like playing a sport,” said Philipp, who graduated in December of 2021. “He was a basketball player at Hillsdale, so we had a lot of shared experiences.”
Philipp is settling into another new role: wife. She married former Hillsdale football player Joe Philipp, ’20, in June 2023, and they are planning a September honeymoon.
She said the interpersonal skills she learned in volleyball have served her well in her career.
“I love to serve people,” she said. “It makes life worthwhile.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in August 2023