Andrew Hillman graduated Tuesday night and is headed to Columbus, Ohio, in two months. But before that the Trojan alum can reflect on his boys volleyball career, one which saw the Ohio State commit accomplish a lot of success and garner a ton of accolades along the way.

Hillman was one of 12 graduating seniors from the 2016 Parkland team that won four straight league titles, three consecutive District 11 titles and a PIAA championship. They were three match wins from back-to-back state titles, but fell in the last game to eventual state champ Hempfield two weeks ago.

“We were able to accomplish all of these things by working hard at practice,” Hillman said. “We also had great team chemistry and never panicked when we got down; we never felt like we were out of a game even when losing a set. It is incredibly humbling to be able to accomplish of these great achievements. It was so exciting to win a state championship, especially since we were the first boys volleyball team to do it at Parkland. It was nice to be a part of history.”

Hillman played a huge role for the program, being a multi-year starter and a force at any position on the court. His serve gave opponents nightmares, and his passing set up teammates in the right spots for kills. That well-rounded play made him the top player in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference in 2016 as he came away with the Most Valuable Player award for the league. He was also recently named a First-Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

“I was very honored and excited to receive the EPC MVP award,” Hillman said. “I think the main things that I improved on from last year were my mental game and my strength. Coach [Scott] Trumbauer gave me great tips and would come in early or stay late to give me extra time in the weight room or in the gym. I greatly appreciate that time he put in to help me grow immensely as a player.

“Volleyball is a team sport, so I could not have accomplished this without my teammates from Parkland and my club teams, Yorktowne and Club Lehigh. I also had very good coaching in club and at Parkland since my middle school years. I received a lot of support and help from my sister and my parents too.”

Hillman was primarily a setter, but also played high above the net and tallied points for his team through powerful hitting.

Volleyball was the primary sport in the Hillman household, with older sister Erin a part of Mike Krause’s state championship winning program at Parkland. Hillman credits much of his success at the game to his sister.

“I first began playing volleyball in my backyard when I was around 6 or 7 years old,” said Hillman. “My older sister Erin would take me out in the back yard and teach me all of the skills. I think some of my favorite volleyball memories come from that time. My sister would just drill balls at me for hours and I would come inside with bright red forearms.”

The hard work and bruises at a young age paid dividends. He was recruited by schools such as Lewis, George Mason, NJIT, Penn State, Saint Francis, Ohio State, Juniata, Marymount, Kean, Springfield and Stevenson. But there was one school that brought the best of both worlds.

“I believe what truly drove me to Ohio State was the academic and athletic prestige,” Hillman said. “Ohio State is a great institution that I thought would prepare me best for the future. They have everything in place to help you succeed athletically and academically. This was the only school that I visited where the athletes get two academic advisors, one in your major and one general advisor. The school has great spirit, and I got that feeling just walking around the campus.”

But before leaving for school on August 20, Hillman plans to spend plenty of time with his family, and playing with his club volleyball team. And Parkland was the stepping stone that got him there.

“Parkland made me a better student-athlete by giving me the opportunity to play on one of the most competitive high school volleyball teams in the country,” said Hillman. “I would not trade those four years for anything in the world. I was able to take many challenging classes at Parkland, especially the engineering Project Lead the Way courses. I think taking challenging classes helped prepare me for next year. I had access to great coaching and good facilities. I played with many of the best players in the state, and we had a lot of friends who supported us in the PHSVB Pak.”