Schedule
Minnesota St.-Mankato (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) vs #16 Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. CDT Friday, Aug. 26 | Mason-Halpin Field House | Kansas City, MO
#16 Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Rockhurst (0-0, 0-0 GLVC) | 6 p.m. CDT Friday, Aug. 26 | Mason-Halpin Field House | Kansas City, MO
Missouri Western St. (0-0, 0-0 MIAA) vs #16 Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. CDT Saturday, Aug. 27 | Mason-Halpin Field House | Kansas City, MO
Black Hills St. (0-0, 0-0 RMAC) vs #16 Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 4 p.m. CDT Saturday, Aug. 27 | Mason-Halpin Field House | Kansas City, MO
Follow/Watch
Live Stats | Video | Tickets
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Minnesota St. Roster | Rockhurst Roster | Missouri Western Roster | Black Hills St. Roster | 2021 Hillsdale Stats | 2021 Minnesota St. Stats | 2021 Rockhurst Stats | 2021 Missouri Western Stats | 2021 Black Hills St. Stats
Players to Watch
Hillsdale: #7 Karoline Shelton, Sr., OH, Shawnee, KS/Mission South (2021 AVCA 3rd Tm All-American, Spring 2021 G-MAC POY, 3x 1st team All-G-MAC); #4 Alli Wiese, So., L/DS, Mattawan, MI/Mattawan (2x All-G-MAC, 2nd G-MAC in D/S, 4th SA/S in Fall 2021; #8 Maizie Brown, So., MH, Portage, MI/Central (2x All-G-MAC, 12th G-MAC in B/S, 14th hitting % in Fall 2021); #13 Marilyn Popplewell, So., OH, Mason, OH/Mason (4th team in K/S)
Minnesota St. Mankato: #2 Ellie Danielson, Jr., MB, Glenwood, MN/Minnewaska (3rd team in K/S, 3rd in P/S, 2nd in B/S); #18 Kiya Durant, So., MB, Plymouth, MN/Robbinsdale Armstrong (1st team in B/S, 3rd NSIC in B/S); #23 Brooke Bolwerk, So., S, Appleton, WI/Appleton North (2nd team in A/S); #4 Brenna Hesse, Sr., DS/L, Farmington, MN/Farmington (4th team in D/S)
Rockhurst: #10 Maureen Reilly, Jr., L/DS, Overland Park, KS/St. James Academy (2021 2nd TM All-GLVC, 3rd GLVC in D/S, 1st team in D/S, 1st in SA/S); #8 Tera Reberry, Jr., RS, Pleasant Hill, MO/Pleasant Hill (4thteam in K/S, 4th in P/S, 4th in B/S); #9 Kenzie Hines, Jr., OH, Nixa, MO/Nixa (5th team in K/S, 5th in P/S, 3rd in D/S); #5 Sarah Montague, Jr., S, Omaha, NE/Marian (2nd team in A/S)
Missouri Western: #16 Danielle Moje, Jr., MH, Blue Springs, MO/South (2021 HM All-MIAA, 1st team in B/S, 5th in K/S, 5th in P/S); #4 Jessica Sachen, Jr., DS/L, Leavenworth, KS/Leavenworth (1st team in D/S); #8 Hailey Crane, So., OH, Kennesaw GA/Harrison (1st team in SA/S, 2nd in D/S); #21 Karly Tharp, Jr., OH, Grain Valley, MO/Grain Valley (3rd team in K/S, 4th in B/S, 3rd in P/S)
Black Hills St.: #9 Madison Hoopman, Sr., OH, Douglas, WY/Douglas (2021 HM All-RMAC, 1st team K/S, 1st P/S); #5 Haedyn Rhoades, Jr., L, Douglas, WY/Douglas (2021 HM All-RMAC, 1st team D/S); #3 Karly Marx, Sr., S, Elk Point, SD/Elk Point-Jefferson (1st team in A/S, 3rd in D/S); #8 Kindra Cerrone, Sr., OH, Denver, CO/D'Evelyn/West Texas A&M (4th team in K/S, 2nd in SA/S, 2nd in B/S, 4th in P/S)
Scouting the Opposition
A retooled Hillsdale College volleyball team kicks off its Midwest Regional title defense with a trip to Kansas City to take on several solid opponents at the season-opening Rockhurst Invite this Friday and Saturday.
Along with the host Hawks, a 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifier and a perennial Midwest Region power, Hillsdale also will face of against multiple teams from the Central Region, often regarded as one of the best, if not the best, regions in the country for volleyball at the NCAA DII level.
The Chargers open the weekend with a match against Minnesota State-Mankato, a team from the powerful Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Mavericks went 14-14 last season and finished 11th in the NSIC, but are predicted to improve to ninth in the conference's 2022 preseason poll.
Minnesota St. graduated several key players from last season, including its top setter and libero, but returns a couple of strong front-row players in sophomore Kiya Durant and junior Ellie Danielson, both middle blockers who were among the top players in the NSIC in total blocks. The Mavericks hope to reload quickly by adding three transfers, including former DI talents Emma Loveall (Milwaukee) and Elizabeth Dille (Green Bay).
Rockhurst, Hillsdale's second opponent on Friday and the tournament host, also will be sporting a new look after graduating its top three offensive players from 2021.
Although there are questions up front, the Hawks can lean on one of the Midwest Region's best returning liberos, junior Maureen Reilly, who earned second-team All-GLVC honors last season, to anchor the defense. Juniors Tera Reberry and Kenzie Hines are expected to step into bigger roles offensively for Rockhurst as well.
The X-factor for Rockhurst is a large freshman class – seven of 18 players on the roster are new to the team, and their contributions could prove critical as the Hawks look to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
The Chargers begin Saturday with a match against Missouri Western State, which went 14-16 last year while playing in the rugged Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Griffons have to replace their top two offensive players and top setter from last season, but do have experienced options back, including All-MIAA honorable mention Danielle Moje in the middle.
Defensively, MWSU returns both starting libero Jessica Sachen as well as Hailey Crane, a strong defensive player on the outside, to give the Griffons solid options on that front.
Hillsdale completes the weekend with a match against Black Hills State. The Yellow Jackets are coming off an 8-16 season in which they finished 13th in the strong Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, but have optimism for the future thanks to a strong returning cast.
Senior outside hitter Madison Hoopman and junior libero Haedyn Rhodes, both All-RMAC honorable mention players in 2021 return, as does starting setter Karly Marx and key offensive pieces Mariah Robinson and Kindra Cerrone. The question surrounding the Yellow Jackets is how much of a leap that experienced core can help Black Hills State make in the 2022 campaign.
Scouting the Chargers
Fresh off one of the best seasons in program history, including the program's second-ever NCAA DII Midwest Regional championship and Elite Eight appearance, Hillsdale looks to keep a run of recent success going in 2022.
The Chargers will have to overcome significant graduation losses to do so, as Hillsdale bid farewell last spring to a talented five-player senior class that included two All-Americans, two more All-G-MAC players and a player who finished in the top 10 all time in career digs at Hillsdale.
Despite the losses, however, Hillsdale is still well-stocked with talent, as well as meaningful experience at multiple positions. A third 2021 All-American, senior outside hitter Karoline Shelton, returns for the final season of a stellar five-year career, and is joined by two-time All-G-MAC libero Alli Wiese, who set the Hillsdale single-season record for digs last year, as well as two-time All-G-MAC middle hitter Maizie Brown.
The Chargers have plenty of options in the front row, led by sophomore outside hitter Marilyn Popplewell, who was the breakout star of Hillsdale's NCAA Tournament run as a freshman after barely playing in the first half of the season, as well as senior middle hitter Megan Kolp, who's played an important role on multiple Charger squads.
In the back row, Hillsdale can call on rock-solid veteran Audrey Riley, who's been part of the rotation since arriving as a freshman, and athletic sophomore Amy Buffini, who impressed with her defensive skills in limited playing time last year and who brings added flexibility to the lineup with her ability to play in the front row as well.
The biggest question mark for Hillsdale is at setter, where the Chargers will have to replace five-year starter Lindsey Mertz, the program's assists record-holder. Luckily, Hillsdale has several talented options to choose from. Senior Madeline Zenas played at an All-G-MAC level when subbing in for an injured Mertz during the spring 2021 season, while sophomore Lauren Passaglia showed promise in limited opportunities last year and will contend for the spot. Freshman Josie TeSlaa had a strong high school career and also is very much in the mix.
Coaching the Chargers for the 27th 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 wonnine conference regular season titles, eught conference tournament titles, made 13 NCAA Division II tournament appearances, won the Midwest Regional title in 2011 and 2021, and reached the NCAA DII Final Four in 2011 while making the Elite Eight round in 2021.
Other Notes
- Hillsdale opens the season ranked 16th in the AVCA DII Preseason top 25, after entering last season ranked 13th in the nation. By being ranked in the preseason poll, Hillsdale has now made the AVCA DII Top 25 for 42 consecutive polls, continuing to extend a program record. The Chargers also were the top vote-getter in the 2022 G-MAC Preseason Coaches poll, and named the favorite to win the North Division.
- The Chargers enter the 2022 season looking to extend its dominance of the G-MAC for another campaign. Hillsdale has won five consecutive regular season titles and five G-MAC tournament titles in a row since joining the conference in 2017, and are currently on a 71-match winning streak in conference games (85 including conference tournament matches). Hillsdale's last loss in G-MAC play came in a four-set defeat at the hands of Cedarville on Sept. 15, 2017, during the program's first week as a G-MAC member.
- Senior outside hitter Karoline Shelton is building a resume as one of the most accomplished all-around players in program history entering her final season in 2022. The 2021 All-American is one of just two players in program history, along with Cassandra Cole (1996-99), to surpass both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for her career. At 1,087 kills and 1,211 digs entering the 2022 season, an injury-free campaign should see Shelton move into the top five all-time at Hillsdale in both stats.
- 2021 was a season of milestones for the Hillsdale College volleyball team, both individual and team, and there's at least one likely to come early in 2022 – sophomore Alli Wiese sits at 934 digs for her career, just 66 shy of reaching 1,000 with three full seasons of eligibility remaining. Wiese, who set a program record for single-season digs with 624 last fall and is averaging 5.40 digs per set for her career, has a great shot at chasing down the program's career digs record of 2,251 held by her older sister, Taylor, if she can stay healthy the next three seasons.
- Family ties play an interesting role for the Hillsdale College volleyball team this year, with several players following in the footsteps of family members who played Charger athletics. Three of Hillsdale's five incoming freshmen have older siblings who are or were Chargers – libero Chloe Pierce's older sister, Sophia, just wrapped up her career as a women's basketball player at Hillsdale, front row player Adi Sysum is the younger sister of women's basketball player Arianna Sysum, and setter Josie TeSlaa is the younger sister of Charger football player Isaac TeSlaa. They join Alli Wiese, whose older sister, Taylor, also was a libero for the Chargers and is currently on the coaching staff.
- Familiar faces are all over head coach Chris Gravel's coaching staff. As mentioned above, assistant Taylor Wiese was an All-American libero for the Chargers from 2016-19. She's joined this year as an assistant by Allyssa Van Wienen, who just wrapped up her Charger career last fall and finished as a two-time All-American herself.
- Hillsdale has a long history with Midwest Region rival Rockhurst, having gone 3-3 against the Hawks in six meetings since 2012, mostly in Midwest Regional Crossover contests. The Chargers only have played Mankato once, losing to Minnesota State 3-1 on Sept. 3, 2010, and Hillsdale's only prior match against Missouri Western St. came in the 1982 NAIA National Tournament, when the Chargers picked up a 2-1 victory over the Griffons on their way to a fifth-place finish in the nation. Saturday will be the first meeting between Hillsdale and Black Hills State.