
GREENVILLE – Lady Wave senior Brooke Schmidt signed to continue her education while taking her volleyball record-breaking skills to the next level, playing for the NCAA DII Tiffin Lady Dragons volleyball program.
“Brooke played a crucial role in the Greenville program over the last four years, leaving a lasting impression of dedication and work ethic,” said Greenville veteran volleyball coach Michelle Hardesty. “She accomplished many of her objectives and provided future players with a standard to aspire to. Through her efforts, she has played a key role in shaping this program and will continue to motivate future players to achieve similar success.”
“Brooke is a model student-athlete,” said Greenville Athletic Director Arron Shaffer. “She trains hard, studies hard, everything you want from student-athletes.”

Schmidt is the daughter of Kirsten and Corey Schmidt and will study biology with plans to continue in the dental field and become a dentist with a future in orthodontics.
“I’m excited about having my own experience, meeting new people, and having those memories people always talk about in college and how they loved everything,” Schmidt said.
A visit to Tiffin University quickly led to Schmidt’s choice of colleges for academics and athletics for the next four years.
“I went there, and the coaches were so good,” Schmidt noted. “They were very good at understanding an athlete and being in their shoes. They were very welcoming. As soon as I stepped onto the campus, I knew this was my next home. Those feelings people tell you about the college will make you feel that way, and I heard the birds, the train that goes by every once in a while. There is a train by my house, and I was like, this reminds me of home. I got the tour, and everybody was so nice.”
As a junior, Schmidt broke the all-time GHS kills record (682) in a win over Piqua, a match where she also set the record for most kills in a single match with 28 kills. In her senior season, Schmidt earned her 1000th career kill in a 3-0 sweep of the West Carrollton Lady Pirates in the 19th match of the 2024 season.
Brooke earned back-to-back MVL Player of the Year awards and was named District Nine Division I, II, and III Player of the year her senior year and participated in the OHSVCA All-Star senior match played in Wooster.

“Our volleyball record board – her name is going to be on there for a while,” Shaffer stated. “It will be hard to do the things she has done. She came in as a freshman, started hitting right away and blocking. That’s going to be a tough one to get to. Records are made to be broken. Right now I think that record will be on there for a long time.”

“Brooke is a three-sport kid, volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter, and track in the spring, and good at all of them,” added Shaffer. “In a day of specialization, she’s proof personified that you can do multiple sports and still be good and earn a scholarship … you can still be a multi-sport athlete and do it well.”
Greenville alum and former State Representative Jim Buchy attended the signing to support Schmidt as he often attended Brooke and the Lady Wave volleyball matches.

“She’s one of the best all-around women athletes that Greenville High School has ever had with her talent in volleyball, basketball, track, and her brains,” said Buchy. “This young lady is equipped for stardom. She is really good, and I am excited and thrilled to be here for this day.”
“You start with Van Wert County, Mercer, Darke, Preble, Miami, Shelby, Auglaize, that’s west central Ohio; there is no better place to be,” Buchy continued. “She is a product of that environment, and it comes from families, nuclear families where mom and dad are married and rearing their children – that’s what we need more of, and she is going to be successful.”

Schmidt thanked the many who helped her reach her goal of playing volleyball at the next level, including Lady Wave varsity volleyball coaches Jim and Michelle Hardesty.
“My parents did a lot; they pushed me, my coaches helped me, my family and God definitely,” she said. “I remember praying all the time. I remember going into Jim and Shelly as a freshman – ‘I want to get to the next level,’ and that was my goal. I am so excited and blessed to be in the next opportunity.”
“Tiffin University appears to be a suitable fit for Brooke,” said Coach Michelle Hardesty. “Following a successful season, they are looking to maintain their momentum. I think Brooke will be able to make an immediate impact.”
“It’s been a pleasure to coach Brooke, and we wish her much success at Tiffin,” Hardesty concluded.