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Five former all-conference players who led their teams to championships will receive an honor only reserved for the best players and contributors in MIVA history.
The oldest college volleyball conference announced Monday that Purdue Fort Wayne’s Jay Golsteyn, George Williams’ Ken Mattison and Marv Zimmerman, Lewis’ Victor Rivera and Ball State’s Keith Thornburgh were all selected to be inducted into the MIVA Hall of the Fame.
“When we talk about the future of the MIVA, it is imperative that we honor and respect our past,” MIVA Commissioner Tim O’Brien said in a statement. “We are thankful for the dedication and contributions shown by our inductees who instinctively set the bar high for our current student-athletes.”
Golsteyn earned All-American honors twice in his career and was the MIVA Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. The four-time All-MIVA recipient led the Mastodons to back-to-back regular season titles in 1986 and 1987 and ended his college career setting the school’s career record with 1,939 kills.
Mattison was a three-time First-Team All-MIVA selection from 1966-68. In addition, Mattison helped the 1960s MIVA powerhouse George Williams advance to the MIVA Tournament finals in both 1966 and 1968.
Rivera was a three-time All-American who led Lewis to MIVA titles and the NCAA Tournament semifinals in both 1996 and 1998. The pin-hitter remains the Flyers’ career record holder with both 2,2521 kills and 153 aces along with being the only Lewis player to win the MIVA Player of the Year multiple times during his career.
Thornburgh earned First-Team All-MIVA honors three times while playing at Ball State He also led the Cardinals to four consecutive MIVA championships, including helping Ball State in 1964 win its first conference title in program history.
Zimmerman helped George Williams win back-to-back MIVA Tournament titles and regular season championships in 1962 and 1963. He also was one of the first players in conference history to earn First-Team All-MIVA honors in three consecutive seasons.
This is the third class of the MIVA Hall of Fame, which was established in 2017.
All five new members will be formally inducted into the MIVA Hall of Fame on Nov. 2 following a preseason conference tournament at Lewis.