2022 G-MAC Volleyball All-Conference Teams
So far, the story of the 2022 season for the Hillsdale College volleyball team has been one of resilience.
Despite two midseason conference losses that put them behind in the G-MAC standings, Hillsdale rallied to finish the regular season on an eight-match winning streak, beating rival and North Division contender Findlay twice in two days to take home the G-MAC North Division crown, its sixth straight season of winning at least one G-MAC title.
The Chargers also thrived individually this season, as shown in the announcement of the 2022 G-MAC Volleyball All-Conference teams this morning. Hillsdale tied its best-ever showing with seven All-G-MAC honorees, and matched South Division champion Ashland for the most honorees by a single school this season.
Three Chargers made the All-G-MAC first team, led by senior outside hitter Karoline Shelton, who became just the third player in program history to earn first-team All-Conference honors for four consecutive seasons with the recognition. A 2021 All-American and spring 2021 G-MAC Player of the Year, Shelton led the Chargers in kills this season with 360 and finished third in the G-MAC in kills per set with 3.43, while also posting an impressive 360 digs.
Shelton is one of just two Chargers in program history to surpass 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her career, and currently ranks fourth all-time in Charger history in kills with 1,447, and fifth in digs with 1,571.
She's joined on the first team by sophomore libero Alli Wiese, who earns the second first-team honor and the third All-G-MAC honor of her career as the only libero to make the All-G-MAC first team this season. Wiese has had a record-setting 2022 campaign, surpassing her own program record for digs in a single season with 628, while tying the program record for digs in a single match (40) and aces in a single match (six). She currently not only leads the G-MAC in digs per set (5.46), but ranks 10th nationally at the NCAA DII level in the statistic. She's still in the hunt for more program records, as her 52 aces so far are just five short of the single-season record of 57 set by Apryl Schmucker in 2011.
Shelton and Wiese are both repeat first-team honorees, but the Chargers also had a player earn first-team honors for the first time this season in sophomore outside hitter Marilyn Popplewell. Popplewell has been impressive in her first full season as a starter, putting up 318 kills, the second-most on the Charger team. She also sits in the top 10 in the G-MAC in both kills per set (eighth) and points per set (eighth) while hitting .248 for the season as one of the conference's top threats on the outside.
Hillsdale's middle hitter also were well-represented on the All-G-MAC team. Sophomore Maizie Brown earned second-team honors for her performance in 2022, her third time receiving All-G-MAC distinction. Brown leads the G-MAC in blocks per set with 1.14 and has posted an impressive 114 total blocks this year, including 21 solo blocks. She's also fourth on the team in kills with 161, and a critical part of the Chargers' offense.
Senior Megan Kolp also received second-team All-G-MAC honors, thanks to strong play both in the middle and as a right-side hitter for the Chargers in 2022. Kolp is third on the team with 173 kills and 2.14 kills per set, while also chipping in an impressive 0.83 blocks per set. This is the second time Kolp has earned All-G-MAC recognition after making the third team in the spring 2021 season.
Two more Chargers made the third team, both earning all-conference recognition for the first time in their careers. Senior Linnea Larson received third-team honors for her work in the middle for the Chargers, posting 67 total blocks and 76 kills in just 57 sets played while also leading Hillsdale in hitting percentage with a mark of .276.
Setter Lauren Passaglia also brought home third-team honors for her play in 2022. The sophomore finished the regular season with 969 assists, and her 9.32 assists per set mark ranked fifth among G-MAC players. Passaglia also has been a dangerous server for the Chargers, finishing second on the team with 27 aces, and a solid defensive player, finishing third on the team with 246 digs.
Hillsdale turns its focus to the conference tournament this afternoon, where the Chargers will look to bring home a sixth consecutive G-MAC tournament title. The team is a two-seed in the tournament and will play seventh-seeded Northwood at noon in a quarterfinal match hosted by Ashland University.
Photos by Anthony Lupi and Isabella Sheehan