Schedule
Hillsdale (17-6, 9-2 G-MAC) at Northwood (11-11, 5-4 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
Lake Erie (2-19, 0-11 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (17-6, 9-2 G-MAC) | 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena| Hillsdale, MI
Ursuline (2-19, 0-11 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (17-6, 9-2 G-MAC) | 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena| Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats and Live Stream | Tickets (Northwood) | Tickets (Lake Erie/Ursuline)
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Northwood Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Ursuline Roster | 2022 Hillsdale Stats | 2022 Northwood Stats | 2022 Lake Erie Stats | 2022 Ursuline Stats
Players to Watch
Hillsdale: #7 Karoline Shelton, Sr., OH, Shawnee, KS/Mission South (5th G-MAC in K/S, 7th in P/S, 12th in D/S) #4 Alli Wiese, So., L/DS, Mattawan, MI/Mattawan (2nd G-MAC in D/S, 9th 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 (8th G-MAC in K/S, 8th in P/S); #11 Lauren Passaglia, So., S, Cary, IL/Cary Grove (5th G-MAC in A/S)
Northwood: #7 Renee Brines, Fr, S, Cadillac, MI/Cadillac (4th G-MAC in A/S, 12th in SA/S); #9 Sydney Sweet, Sr, MB/RS, Clio, MI/Clio (3rd G-MAC in B/S); #16 Megan Acs, Sr., L/DS, Hartland, MI/Hartland (4th G-MAC in D/S); #18 Sydney Hasenfratz, Fr, OH, Clarkston, MI/Clarkston (7th G-MAC in K/S, 4th in P/S, 4th in B/S)
Lake Erie: #7 Dora Olah, Sr., RS, God, Hungary/Berzsenyi Daniel (9th G-MAC in K/S); #8 Simone Schurr, So., S, Plainfield, Illinois/Oswego East (3rd G-MAC in SA/S); #9 Kaylee Hiser, Sr., DS/L, Sandusky, OH/Perkins (7th G-MAC in D/S); #18 Kariema Rodriguez-Diaz, Sr., OH, Naranjito, Puerto Rico/College of Central Florida (2nd Team in K/S)
Ursuline: #2 Abigail Aguilera-Ayala, Jr., OH, Chino, CA/Aquinas (12th G-MAC in K/S); #3 Maggie Bradley, So., S, Aurora, OH/Aurora (8th G-MAC in A/S); #6 Emily Holton, So., DS/L, Orlando, FL (6th G-MAC in SA/S); #16 Maleah Gibbons, So., MB, Akron, OH/CVCA (1st Team in B/S)
Scouting the Opposition
Northwood: The newest member of the G-MAC, Northwood has come back to earth after a hot start but remains a dangerous team at .500 entering the final three weeks of the regular season.
A youth movement is paying major dividends for the Timberwolves, as the connection between freshman setter Renee Brines and redshirt freshman outside hitter Sydney Hasenfratz has been special so far. Other underclassmen – outside hitters Caitlin Warnshuis and Kiana Martens – have also made major contributions offensively.
Hillsdale especially must account for Martens, who's played more of a supporting role for Northwood's offense overall, but torched the Chargers for 22 kills in a tight four set match in September.
Defensively, senior libero Megan Acs has been one of the top backrow players in the G-MAC so far, while middle blockers Sydney Sweet and Maya Ferland have made a big impact at the net as well.
Northwood is one of the top defensive teams in the G-MAC, leading the conference in opponent kills so far. Although the Timberwolves are unlikely to win the North Division, they'll be a tough opponent for the rest of the season and into the G-MAC Tournament.
Lake Erie: Since going 2-1 in the second weekend of the season, it's been a rough go of things for Lake Erie, who enter Friday's match on 15-match losing streak.
Senior outside hitters Kariema Rodriguez-Diaz and Dora Olah, both multi-year starters, are Lake Erie's top offensive threats, while sophomore setters Simone Schurr and Sarah Leyden split duties running the Storm's offense.
In the back row, senior Kaylee Hiser has cooled off from a fast start but remains one of the top liberos statistically in the G-MAC to date for the Storm, with fellow backrow player Brookyn Broadway also playing an important role. Freshman Jessica Ickes is Lake Erie's top blocker up front for second-year head coach Lee Anderson.
Ursuline: A 2-1 start in the opening weekend gave the Arrows hope of a big turn-around this season, but since then Ursuline has struggled, entering the weekend on an 18-match losing streak.
The Arrows lean heavily on returning outside hitter Abigail Aguilera-Ayala, who's been a well-known threat for several seasons in the G-MAC, as well as returning middle blocker Maleah Gibbons.
Ursuline is breaking in a new setter in sophomore Maggie Bradley, who played sparingly as a freshman but is now the starter for the Arrows, as well as a new full-time libero in Emily Holton, who has stepped into the role and performed well so far for Ursuline.
The Arrows' first year head coach is Haley Paonessa, who took over at Ursuline after spending a year as head coach at Montreat University. Paonessa who played collegiately for Indiana Tech, has also spent time as the head coach of Holy Family College, as well as time as an assistant at Heidelberg University.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale is unlikely to catch undefeated Ashland for the top seed and hosting rights in the season-ending G-MAC tournament, but a North Division title is still very much in play for the Chargers with seven conference matches left in the season.
In 2022, 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
- Hillsdale currently trails Findlay by a game in the G-MAC North Division standings with seven matches to play, but the Chargers have two shots at the Oilers next week, meaning Hillsdale still controls its own destiny in conference play. The one-game gap, however, makes it imperative that Hillsdale takes care of business this week with three matches on the docket.
- Northwood has historically dominated a long series with the Chargers going back to their shared time in the GLIAC, with a 42-18 series edge, but the two programs are 15-14 against each other since 1998, Hillsdale head coach Chris Gravel's third season, and the Chargers are on a six-match winning streak against the Timberwolves dating back to 2014, including a 3-1 Hillsdale victory earlier this season. The Chargers are undefeated all-time against both Lake Erie and Ursuline, with a 19-0 mark against the Storm and a 9-0 mark against the Arrows. Hillsdale swept both opponents earlier this season.
- Two players came close to tying Hillsdale's single-match record for aces in one contest against Northern Michigan in the 2022 Midwest Region Crossover on Saturday, as both Alli Wiese and Amanda Hilliker served up five aces each. Seven different players, including Wiese, have recorded six aces in a match since 2008. Hillsdale's 14 aces against the Wildcats were the most by a Charger team since September 23, 2011, when Hillsdale served 15 aces in a five-set victory over Saginaw Valley State.
- Senior outside hitter Karoline Shelton became the 10th player in program history to earn All-Crossover team honors at the 2022 Midwest Regional Crossover last weekend, and 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 1,356 kills and 1,496 digs through this past weekend, Shelton is now in the top five all-time at Hillsdale in both stats, and could move as high as third in kills before her career ends.
- 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 1,397 digs for her career, and is second in the G-MAC and in the top 20 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 5.35 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 fifth in the nation at the NCAA DII level in digs per set at 18.76. Wiese, mentioned above, plays a leading role, but Hillsdale is also getting important contributions from defensive specialists Amy Buffini (2.37 D/S) and Audrey Riley (2.19), as well as impressive support from outside hitter Karoline Shelton (3.39) and setter Lauren Passaglia (2.51).
- Hillsdale currently leads the G-MAC in blocks per set with 2.31 in 2022 – a testament to the Chargers' strength up front. Leading the way is sophomore Maizie Brown, who has 70 total blocks this season, and whose 1.11 blocks per set leads the G-MAC. Sydney Sahr (0.83) and Megan Kolp (0.78) also rate highly among G-MAC players.
- 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