Sen. Karla Eslinger presents Paula Wiedemann with proclamation

State Sen. Karla Eslinger (R-33) presented Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Volleyball Head Coach Paula Wiedemann with a proclamation from the Missouri Senate. The proclamation recognizes Wiedemann for her many professional achievements, including her induction to the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The document was approved in April following Wiedemann's induction at the 2020 NJCAA Division I Women's National Volleyball Championship Tournament at the West Plains Civic Center, but due to the pandemic, Eslinger was unable to present the framed document in person at that time. Tuesday, Eslinger finally got the chance to hand the proclamation to Wiedemann at the university's send-off rally for the Grizzlies, who left that day for the 2021 NJCAA national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Wiedemann has been a fixture of the Grizzly Volleyball program for 24 years, including the past 13 years as head coach. She has helped guide the Grizzlies to 17 Region 16 Championships, five district championships and 17 NJCAA national championship tournament appearances, with six of those teams finishing in the final four.