Schedule
Hillsdale (16-4, 9-2 G-MAC) vs Grand Valley State (13-6, 7-4 GLIAC) | 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
Hillsdale (16-4, 9-2 G-MAC) vs #22 Lewis (13-6, 5-2 GLVC) | 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
Hillsdale (16-4, 9-2 G-MAC) vs TBD |TBD, Saturday, Oct. 15 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
Follow/Watch
Tournament Info (Live Stats and Admission) | Live Video
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | GVSU Roster | Lewis Roster | 2022 Hillsdale Stats | 2022 GVSU Stats | 2022 Lewis Stats
Players to Watch
Hillsdale: #7 Karoline Shelton, Sr., OH, Shawnee, KS/Mission South (6th G-MAC in K/S, 6th in P/S) #4 Alli Wiese, So., L/DS, Mattawan, MI/Mattawan (1st G-MAC in D/S, 12th in SA/S); #8 Maizie Brown, So., MH, Portage, MI/Central (1st G-MAC in B/S); #13 Marilyn Popplewell, So., OH, Mason, OH/Mason (4th G-MAC in K/S, 8th in P/S); #11 Lauren Passaglia, So., S, Cary, IL/Cary Grove (4th G-MAC in A/S)
Grand Valley St.: #1 Emily Holbrook, Jr., L, Elmhurst, IL/Arizona State (10th GLIAC in D/S, 9th in SA/S); #5 Kendall Stover, Fr., OH, Westerville, OH/Highland (1st Team in K/S); #8 Rachel Jacquay, Jr., S, Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll (8th G-MAC in A/S); #10 Jordyn Gates, Fr., S, Grand Rapids, MI/Arkansas (2nd Team in K/S, 9th GLIAC in A/S, 9th in D/S); #17 Jaelianna Primus, Sr., MB, Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville (1st GLIAC in B/S, 3rd Team in K/S)
#22 Lewis: #1 Lauren Stenman, Jr, S/RS, Maplewood, MN/North St. Paul (4th GLVC in A/S); #6 Juliana Van Loo, Sr., RS/MH, Burbank, CA/John Burroughs (1st Team in K/S, 10th GLVC in hitting %); #12 Andrea Zeiser, Sr., L, Eureka, MO/Eureka (3rd GLVC in D/S); #14 Bella Ray, Jr., MH, Plainfield, IL/Joliet Catholic (1st GLVC in B/S, 7th in P/S)
Scouting the Opposition
Grand Valley State: Hillsdale's first opponent in the annual Midwest Region Crossover is a familiar foe that's looking for signature wins of its own.
The Lakers squad that Hillsdale swept in the opening round of the NCAA DII Tournament last season was a young squad, with just one senior in the lineup, but very few of those players return in 2022 as GVSU underwent a massive roster overhaul in the offseason.
In place of several early departures are five transfers, including libero Emily Holbrook from Arizona State and setter Jordyn Gates from Arkansas, both high-major Division I programs in elite conferences.
GVSU runs a balanced offense with five players averaging over two kills per set and two talented setters, and has looked the part of a team stocked with Division I talent at times, but with new faces in new places, consistency has been an issue – the Lakers are just 1-4 against the other top five teams in the GLIAC so far and likely need a good Crossover to get back in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
If the Lakers can play to their talent level, they could be the best team in the Midwest Region – but they'll need to put it together quickly with the end of the regular season just a month away.
#22 Lewis: A perennial power with 15 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and two Final Four trips in 2016 and 2018, Lewis was widely seen as the favorite in the Midwest Region entering the season, and looked the part early in strong performances in three out-of-region tournaments.
Since entering GLVC play, however, things have been rockier, as upset losses to Illinois-Springfield and a resurgent Quincy team have left the Flyers with ground to make up in the GLVC title race.
Despite recent losses, Lewis remains as talented as any team in the Midwest Region, with returning All-Americans Juliana Van Loo, a middle/right-side hitter and Lauren Stenman, a setter, in the lineup, as well as second-team All-GLVC hitters Bella Ray and Megan Schlecte.
The Flyers are distinct from most of their competition in that they run a great deal of their offense through middle hitters like Van Loo, Ray and Farah Taki, rather than on the outside, like most teams. That plus Lewis' balance makes the Flyers a tricky team to defend against.
Because of its strength of schedule, Lewis is still in good position to make the NCAA Tournament despite recent wobbles, but can go a long way to solidifying itself in the top eight in the region with a strong Crossover performance.
Scouting the Chargers
As Hillsdale heads into Crossover weekend and the midway point of the 2022 G-MAC season, the Chargers currently sit in second place in the G-MAC North Division, a game back of rival Findlay, with two matchups against the Oilers in late October giving Hillsdale a chance to still claim the division crown with a strong finish.
This season, the Chargers have had to overcome significant graduation losses from its 2021 NCAA DII Elite Eight squad, 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 a promising new starter in sophomore Lauren Passaglia who beat out several other quality options for the spot and has been solid so far.
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 won nine conference regular season titles, eight 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
- This is the 15th Midwest Region Crossover, and Hillsdale has played in every edition, dating back to 2008, with a 26-13 overall record in the event. The Chargers, usually one of the top seeds in the event, finished 2-1 last year, and have gone undefeated five times – in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017. Nine different Hillsdale players have earned All-Crossover Team honors over the years, including 2022 graduate Lindsey Mertz three times (2017, 2018 and 2021), and 2012 graduate Clara Leutheuser twice (2010 and 2011). Sophomore Maizie Brown is a returning honoree, having made the All-Crossover team in 2021.
- There's a new format to the Crossover this season -- in past years, the opponents for all three matches had been set before the event began. For this year's event, teams will be paired up for the final match based on the results of their first two matches – 2-0 teams will play other 2-0 teams, 1-1 teams will play 1-1 teams, and so on. Regardless of who the Chargers play, the final match will take place at either 12:30 or 3 PM ET on Saturday.
- All games from this year's Crossover will be streamed on BallerTV. You can find a link to the livestream for the event above. The All-Access streaming pass for the weekend will cost $39. Tickets will be purchasable at the door for the following prices: $12 adult single session; $5 seniors 65-over; $20 two-day pass.
- The Chargers are 17-64 all-time against GVSU, but 10-16 against the Lakers since 2002, and have won the three most recent meetings, including a 3-0 sweep of GVSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last fall. Lewis also leads the series with the Chargers 7-3, but Hillsdale took the most recent meeting, a 3-0 sweep, in last season's crossover. In total, five of the 10 matchups all-time between the two teams and each of the last five meetings have come in the Midwest Regional Crossover.
- Senior outside hitter Karoline Shelton is building a resume as one of the most accomplished all-around players in program history. 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 1,302 kills and 1,438 digs through this past weekend, an injury-free campaign should see Shelton move into the top five all-time at Hillsdale in both stats.
- Sophomore libero Alli Wiese reached an important career milestone early, becoming the 12th Charger to surpass 1,000 digs on opening weekend. She now sits at 1,337 digs for her career, and leads the G-MAC and is tied for 17th nationally in NCAA Division II play at 5.37 digs per set. Wiese, who set a program record for single-season digs with 624 last fall and is averaging 5.39 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.
- The Chargers are elite defensively once again this year as Hillsdale leads the G-MAC and is second in the nation at the NCAA DII level in digs per set at 19.03. Wiese, mentioned above, plays a leading role, but Hillsdale is also getting important contributions from defensive specialists Amy Buffini (2.48 D/S) and Audrey Riley (2.24), as well as impressive support from outside hitter Karoline Shelton (3.20) and setter Lauren Passaglia (2.67).
- Hillsdale currently leads the G-MAC in blocks per set with 2.46 in 2022, and is 14th nationally in the statistic – a testament to the Chargers' strength up front. Leading the way is sophomore Maizie Brown, who has 70 total blocks this season, and whose 1.24 blocks per set is tied for 14th in the entire nation at the NCAA DII level. Senior teammate Linnea Larson would be in the top 50 as well at 1.16 blocks per set but has not accumulated a high enough percentage of sets played yet – something that could change soon if her strong play continues.
- 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.
Photo by Anthony Lupi