Schedule
Lenoir-Rhyne (0-0, 0-0 SAC) vs #18 Hillsdale (2-2, 0-0 G-MAC) | 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 10 | Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, FL
Emmanuel (GA) (1-2, 0-0 CC) vs #18 Hillsdale (2-2, 0-0 G-MAC) | 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10 | Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, FL
American International (2-2, 0-0 NE10) vs #18 Hillsdale (2-2, 0-0 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 | Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, FL
#18 Hillsdale (2-2, 0-0 G-MAC) at HM Palm Beach Atlantic (2-2, 0-0 SSC) | 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 | Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, FL
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | L-R Roster | Emmanuel Roster | AIC Roster | PBA Roster | 2021 Hillsdale Stats | 2021 L-R Stats | 2021 Emmanuel Stats | 2021 AIC Stats | 2021 PBA Stats
Players to Watch
Hillsdale: #7 Karoline Shelton, Jr., OH, Shawnee, KS/Mission South (Spring 2021 G-MAC PoY, 2x 1st team All-G-MAC); #9 Allyssa Van Wienen, Sr., MH, Grand Rapids, MI/Christian (2019 All-American, 2019 G-MAC PoY, 4x 1st Team All-G-MAC); #4 Alli Wiese, Fr., L/DS, Mattawan, MI/Mattawan (1st Team All-G-MAC Spring 2021, 2nd in G-MAC in D/S, 1st in SA/S), #15 Lindsey Mertz, Sr., S, Frankenmuth, MI/Frankenmuth (3x 1st Team All-G-MAC, single-season school record-holder in assists)
Lenoir-Rhyne: #4 Taylor Prall, Sr., OH, Tipp City, OH/Tippecanoe (2019 AVCA HM All-American, 1st Team All-SAC); #6 Ashley Hawkins, Sr., OH, Olin, NC/North Iredell (2nd for L-R in both K/S and D/S in spring 2021); #12 Helen Hamilton, Sr., S, Greensboro, NC/Walter Hines Page (led team in A/S in both 2019 and spring 2021); #10 Rachel Bewick, Sr., L/DS, Greenville, NC/DH Conley (led team in D/S in Spring 2021)
Emmanuel: #8 Taylor Roberts, Sr., MB, Rome, GA/Coosa (3rd Team All-CC in spring 2021); #4 Victoria Alexander, Sr., DS/L, Miami, FL/Calusa Prep (led Lions in D/S in spring 2021); #12 Gabrielle McGlamery, So., S, Fayetteville, GA/Konos Academy (led Lions in A/S in spring 2021); #11 Mia Cotton, Sr., RS, Tallahassee, FL/Chiles (led Lions in K/S in spring 2021)
American Int'l.: #16 Andrea Serra-Rosa, Sr., OH, Toa Alta, PR/University of Mayaguez (2019 All-American, East Region Player of the Year, NE10 Player of the Year); #1 Naomi Eckert-Rivera, So., S, Toa Baja, PR/Antilles (2019 Honorable Mention All-American, East Region Freshman of the Year); #7 Amanda Rodriguez, Jr., L/DS, Miami, FL/Southwest (led team in D/S in 2019); #10 Mai-Lani Hernandez, So., MB, Miami, FL/Southwest (2nd on team in B/S in 2019)
Palm Beach Atl.: #1 Amber Rowoldt, Sr, OH, Watertown, WI/Lakeside Lutheran (2018 SSC Freshman of the Year); #16 Jazz Schmidt, Sr., RS, Parker, CO/Chaparral (2nd on the team in kills, assists and digs in 2019); #13 Ally Smith, Sr., DS/OH, Fleming Island, FL/Fleming Island (3rd on the team in digs in 2019); #14 Anna Gregerson, Jr., MH, Omaha, NE/Papillion La Vista South (led team in blocks in 2019)
Scouting the Opposition
The Chargers continue with a tough early-season non-conference slate, traveling to West Palm Beach, Florida this weekend for four matches against solid East Coast opponents at the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach.
Hillsdale kicks things off early on Friday morning with a match against Lenoir-Rhyne from Georgia, representing the South Atlantic Conference. The Bears have been a .500 volleyball club in both the 2019 season and the abbreviated Spring 2021 season, and the Chargers will have an added advantage as L-R is playing its first match of the season against the Chargers, while Hillsdale has four contests under its belt.
A senior-laden team with lots of experience, the Bears have several strong hitters, led by 2019 All-American Taylor Prall and Ashley Hawkins. While on paper, L-R is the least heralded team the Chargers will face at the tournament, they'll still be a tough out for Hillsdale.
The Chargers wrap up Friday action with a match against Emmanuel College (GA) in the afternoon. The Lions are one of the powers in the Conference Carolinas, with two titles in the last three seasons, and are expected to contend for the league title again in 2021.
Despite a shaky 1-2 start to the season, Emmanuel has significant talent, led by an All-CC middle blocker from the spring 2021 season, Taylor Roberts, as well as returning starters outside, at libero and at setter.
Hillsdale is back in action on Saturday afternoon against an extremely dangerous American International squad that took a set off fourth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney this past weekend. The Yellow Jackets are a power in the East Region, with a NCAA DII Elite Eight appearance in 2018, and are favored to win the NE-10 title this year.
AIC has a formidable combination up front in 2019 East Region Player of the Year Andrea Serra-Rosa and 2019 All-American setter Naomi Eckert-Rivera that will keep the Chargers on their toes in this contest.
Hillsdale wraps up the tournament with a matchup against the always-tough host Palm Beach Atlantic, who are receiving votes in the most recent AVCA Top 25. The Sailfish look to be reloading after losing some key pieces from a strong 2019 team, but PBA always has talent and remains a dangerous foe, as evidenced by a win over 23rd-ranked Wheeling in their season-opening tournament last week.
Experienced hitters Amber Rowoldt, Jazz Schmidt and Ally Smith give the Sailfish plenty of firepower and should help make the Saturday night showdown with the Chargers one to watch.
Scouting the Chargers
The Chargers are looking to improve off a roller coaster opening weekend at the Ferris State Invite that included highs (a win over #21 Missouri-St. Louis) and lows (an 0-2 Saturday).
Hillsdale has its sights set on its fifth-straight G-MAC regular season and tournament titles, and also on a deep NCAA Tournament run after not having the opportunity to compete in the tourney last year due to covid-19.
The Chargers return every player that saw action in the partial spring 2021 season, including four players who were slated to graduate in the spring of 2021 but who couldn't pass up the opportunity to make one more run at NCAA glory after a Covid-19 waiver was extended to preserve their eligibility.
That core group of unprecedented fifth-year players – Allyssa Van Wienen, Lindsey Mertz, Madie Schider and Maddie Clark – is just the tip of the iceberg on a loaded and talented roster that may be the deepest in Hillsdale College history.
Van Wienen, a consensus 2019 All-American and the 2019 G-MAC Player of the Year, is joined up front by junior Karoline Shelton, who was the G-MAC Player of the Year in the 2021 spring season, along with a host of past All-G-MAC honorees – senior Maggie DePorre, sophomore Megan Kolp, and freshman Maizie Brown (who played with the Chargers in the spring) – to give Hillsdale a formidable group of hitters.
The decorated Mertz, who's on track to set the Charger program's career assists record, conducts the offense from the setter position, and Hillsdale proved in the spring it has a capable backup in Madeline Zenas, who was named to the All-G-MAC third team after filling in for Mertz following an injury.
In the back row, Schider, top 10 in program history in digs, is joined by sophomore Audrey Riley and freshman Alli Wiese, a breakout star at libero who earned first-team All-G-MAC honors in the spring, to give the Chargers an elite back row.
Returning Chargers at all positions will be pushed by a strong and talented five-player freshman class which has the skill and the determination to contribute early on, the way Brown and Wiese did in the spring of 2021.
Coaching the Chargers for the 26th year is Chris Gravel, who's built Hillsdale's program from the ground up and into one of the top programs in the Midwest Region. Under Gravel, the Chargers have won eight conference regular season titles, seven conference tournament titles, made 12 NCAA Division II tournament appearances, won the Midwest Regional title in 2011, and reached the NCAA DII Final Four in that same year.
Other Notes
- Hillsdale comes in at 18th in Division II in the Sept. 6 edition of the AVCA Top 25 poll, after starting the season 13th. The Chargers have now been ranked for 29 consecutive weeks, one of the longest stretches in program history, second only to the 30 weeks the Chargers spent in the AVCA poll from 2006-2008.
- Two Charger seniors reached career milestones this past weekend at the Ferris State Invite. Senior setter Lindsey Mertz become the fourth Charger ever to reach the 4,000 assist milestone in the team's Friday against Missouri-St. Louis, and is currently third in program history with 4,140 assists after passing Karin Poschke ('05) over the weekend. Senior libero/defensive specialist Madie Schider also become just the 10th Charger to go over 1,000 digs for her career on Friday as well, in the match against Saint Leo, and now has 1,028 for her career.
- Senior middle hitter Allyssa Van Wienen earned G-MAC North Division Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week and also was named to the All-Tournament team at the Ferris St. Invitational this past weekend, averaging 3.31 kills per set and 1.38 blocks per set. Already an All-American (in 2019) and an Academic All-American (in spring 2021), Van Wienen continues to climb the career statistical ranks at Hillsdale. With 53 kills this weekend, she's now moved past Clara Leutheuser (2008-11) and Emily Wolfert (2012-15) and into seventh all-time in program history in kills with 1,156, and her 22 blocks at Ferris State have moved her past Katherine Jones (2003-06) and into sixth all time in career blocks as well with 333.
- Junior outside hitter Karoline Shelton had a break-out campaign in the spring 2021 season, earning G-MAC Player of the Year honors and leading the Chargers in kills. Shelton's all-around versatility is impressive – with 724 kills and 755 digs in her career so far, she's rapidly closing in on becoming just the second player in program history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
- Hillsdale has several players currently in the top 10 statistically in the G-MAC. Van Wienen leads the conference in blocks per set (1.38) and total points per set (4.38), and is also fourth in hitting percentage (.348) and eighth in kills per set (3.31). Shelton is sixth in both kills per set (3.36) and digs per set (3.93) and eighth in points per set (3.79), while Mertz is the conference leader in assists per set (10.87). Libero Alli Wiese is second in digs per set (5.25), Schider is ninth in digs per set (3.73) and middle hitter Megan Kolp is ninth in blocks per set (0.75) as well.