Melissa Bartlett
Cody Ewers
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: Sports
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The Chatham, Ontario, native came to Hillsdale as a junior transfer from Eastern Michigan University in 2006. After only two seasons in Charger blue she racked up 1,041 kills - just three shy of the school record.
Bartlett said she immediately felt at home at Hillsdale, and quickly formed relationships with her teammates. She and teammate Kittrick Smith, a sophomore, recently sealed their friendship with identical tattoos.
Head coach Chris Gravel said he has known Bartlett since she was in sixth grade.
"She is the complete athlete," Gravel said. "She can do it all."
Gravel said Bartlett carried most of the offensive load the last two years and her ability to score points off the serve complimented her bone-crushing kills.
Bartlett said she remembers a game against Ashland University this year when her team rallied back to defeat them 3-1.
"I remember beating them on their home court and during their homecoming," Bartlett said with a smile. "That was a sweet victory."
Playing competitive volleyball her entire life has given Bartlett an acute sense of what it takes to gel a team together. Throughout her career at Hillsdale, she used her creative genius to put together games and activities to bond the team over the years.
"She's always organizing fun things to do," Smith said. "It will be hard adjusting without her next year."
Bartlett plans to play professional volleyball in Europe after college and will be heading there this summer through Bring It Promotions, a professional volleyball league. She will compete in a 10-day tour of Italy, Slovenia, Austria and Croatia where she will display her talent to European scouts.
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