Schedule
Ashland (16-6, 9-1 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (16-4, 8-1 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Ohio Dominican (10-9, 6-4 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (16-4, 8-1 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Findlay (14-6, 7-3 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (16-4, 8-1 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | ODU Roster | Findlay Roster | 2023 Hillsdale Stats | 2023 Ashland Stats | 2023 ODU Stats | 2023 Findlay Stats | G-MAC Standings
Players to Watch
Hillsdale: #1 Audrey Riley, Sr., DS, Stillwater, OK/Stillwater (7th G-MAC in SA/S); #4 Alli Wiese, Jr., L/DS, Mattawan, MI/Mattawan (1st G-MAC in D/S, 4th in SA/S); #8 Maizie Brown, Jr., MH, Portage, MI/Central (3rd G-MAC in hitting %, 5th in B/S); #11 Lauren Passaglia, Jr., S, Cary, IL/Cary Grove (4th G-MAC in A/S); #13 Marilyn Popplewell, So., OH, Mason, OH/Mason (4th G-MAC in K/S)
Ashland: #1 Kylee Urban, Fr., S/DS/OH, Olmsted Twp., OH/Olmsted Falls (10th G-MAC in A/S, 5th in SA/S), #3 Bailey Ruth, Jr., MB, Marion, OH/River Valley/Cedarville (5th G-MAC in hitting %, 6th in B/S); #9 Makenna Belcher, Jr., OH, Marengo, OH/Sparta Highland (6th G-MAC in K/S); #11 Katie Thompson, Sr., L, Independence, OH/Padua Franciscan (3rd G-MAC in D/S)
Ohio Dominican: #1 Kelsey Shoup, Sr., L, Dalton, OH/Dalton (6th G-MAC in D/S); #9 Ava Horn, MB, Fr., Whitehouse, OH/Anthony Wayne (3rd G-MAC in B/S); #12 Gabrielle Kirker, So., S, Tallmadge, OH/Tallmadge (11th G-MAC in A/S); #15 Lauren Lucas, Jr., OH, Grove City, OH/Grove City/Millersville (8th G-MAC in K/S)
Findlay: #2 Ava Doster, Jr., L/DS, New Haven, IN/New Haven (6th G-MAC in SA/S); #5 Kenzie Hoelscher, MH, So., Ft. Loramie, OH/Ft. Loramie (2nd G-MAC in hitting %); #9 Emma White, So., S, Tiffin, OH/Calvert (1st G-MAC in A/S); #11 Kirsten Bomholt, Fr., OH, Versailles, OH/Versailles (5th G-MAC in K/S)
Scouting the Opposition
Ashland: The defending G-MAC regular season champions, the Eagles are running away with the G-MAC South Division title and one of three remaining contenders along with Walsh and Hillsdale to repeat the feat this season.
The Eagles had a rough offseason with the departure of their coach to Eastern Michigan and several talented players to graduation, but Ashland has reloaded impressively under new head coach Katie Kuhn. Holdovers Makenna Belcher and Bailey Ruth have helped keep Ashland's offense humming, while senior libero Katie Thompson remains one of the G-MAC's best at her position.
A major infusion of new talent has helped keep Ashland in the upper echelons of the G-MAC. Freshman outside hitter Henlie Krause and West Virginia St. transfer Emily Davis have made major contributions to the Eagles' front-row attack, and freshman Kylie Urban and Cleveland St. transfer Georgi Moody have done a solid job of splitting the setting duties.
Entering the second half of the conference season, Ashland has everything to play for, with showdowns against the Chargers and Cavaliers ahead, though both of those matches will be played on the road.
Ohio Dominican: After a dip in 2022 that saw the Panthers fail to make the G-MAC Tournament, Ohio Dominican is on the rise once again in 2023, shaking off a slow start and collecting several notable victories to enter the back half of the conference schedule above .500.
What sets ODU apart from the rest of the chasing pack in the G-MAC South Division is its balanced offense – the Panthers have three experienced and credible attackers at the net who are all averaging over two kills a set in junior Lauren Lucas and sophomores Jenna Peters and Ashley Aselage, as well as another credible weapon in middle hitter Grace Zinchuk.
ODU also has a veteran libero in four-year starter Kelsey Shoup, a previous All-G-MAC honoree, and two solid sophomore setters in Gabrielle Kirker and Saige Avery. The Panthers come into a critical weekend with momentum, having gone 5-1 in their last six conference matches.
Findlay: Always a top contender in the G-MAC North Division, the Oilers were forced to retool after losing multi-time All-American Journey Blevins to the transfer portal this offseason, but remain a potent force in conference play.
In place of Blevins, Findlay has embraced a youth movement, taking advantage of impressive starts offensively by freshmen outside hitters Kirsten Bomholt and Hannah Miller, along with a strong second-year campaign by sophomore middle hitter Alana Pohlman. Sophomore Emma White also is one of the G-MAC's top setters, currently leading the conference in assists.
Findlay's young players have kept the Oilers in the title race, but that lack of experience has left them prone to let-downs, with a couple of tough losses both in and out of conference holding them back in terms of record. Still, the Oilers have the firepower to make a big run in the back half of the standings if other results break their way.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale is off to a strong start at 16-4 overall and 8-1 in G-MAC play. Currently in second place in the G-MAC North Division standings, the Chargers are a game behind leader Walsh and are looking to keep pace with the Cavaliers in the standings ahead of a Nov. 4 rematch that should decide the conference title.
The Chargers return a deep and talented roster full of meaningful postseason experience in 2023 as it looks to reclaim the G-MAC regular season title, defend its G-MAC Tournament title, and earn what would be its sixth straight NCAA DII Midwest Regional appearance, and seventh in eight seasons.
Five All-G-MAC players return for Hillsdale in 2023, led by junior libero Alli Wiese, who earned AVCA honorable mention All-American honors in 2022 while also setting single-season and single-match program records for digs. Wiese recently became just the third Charger to surpass 2,000 digs for her career and is on track to set the career record at Hillsdale as well.
The Chargers also return a bevy of attacking talent up front, including multi-time G-MAC honorees Maizie Brown and Megan Kolp in the middle, and junior Marilyn Popplewell, a first-team All-G-MAC honoree in 2022 who set a new program record for kills in a single match in Hillsdale's NCAA Tournament upset of second-seeded Lewis last November.
Directing the attack is junior setter Lauren Passaglia, who earned All-G-MAC honors in her first full season as a starter and could make a big leap in 2023 with a season's worth of action under her belt.
The Chargers do have a big hole to fill with the graduation of two-time All-American Karoline Shelton, who was an all-around force for Hillsdale, but a deep bench means the Chargers have the luxury of replacing her production with multiple players. Up front, sophomores Emory Braswell and Adi Sysum are among several attackers who could shine in bigger roles, while in the back row, returning defensive specialists Audrey Riley and Amanda Hilliker, as well as redshirt freshman Chloe Pierce, all look ready to handle a larger workload.
Coaching the Chargers for the 28th 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, nine conference tournament titles, made 14 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 received votes in the AVCA DII Top 25 Poll for the fifth straight weekend after a 13-3 start. The Chargers are one of seven Midwest Region teams to be ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA poll, and one of two G-MAC squads. The Chargers also were the top vote-getter in the 2023 G-MAC Preseason Coaches poll, and named the favorite to win the North Division.
- Hillsdale went 2-1 in the 15th Midwest Region Crossover last weekend, and is now 29-14 all-time in the event. The Chargers were the only G-MAC team to finish the event with a winning record in 2023. Junior Marilyn Popplewell became the 11th different Charger to earn All-Crossover Team honors with a strong performance this past weekend.
- Junior libero Alli Wiese hit a special milestone at this weekend's Midwest Region Crossover, becoming just the third Charger to surpass 2,000 digs for her career. A returning All-American from 2022, Wiese is on the cusp of rewriting Hillsdale's record books at her position, as the program's single-season record-holder in digs (721 in 2022) and tied for the single match record (40 against Walsh on Nov. 4, 2022). She is in third place in program history with 2,002 digs, and needs 250 digs to surpass her older sister, Taylor's, program career record of 2,251. With 164 service aces at Hillsdale, Wiese also ranks third all time in that stat and has a shot at breaking the Chargers' career record of 219 set by Katie Keane from 1994-97 as well before her career is done.
- Serving in general has been a key part of Hillsdale's success in 2023, as the Chargers have an impressive 158 service aces already this season, and set a program record for the 25-point rally scoring era with 18 aces in a sweep of Lake Erie earlier this season. The Chargers have six players with double-digit service aces 20 matches into the season, including Wiese, who's on pace to break the single-season record with 37 service aces so far, and senior Audrey Riley, whose 28 is on pace to get in the top 10 for a single season. The Chargers' 2.19 service aces per set leads the G-MAC and ranks 19th nationally at the NCAA DII level.
- Marilyn Popplewell already held one single-match record for the Chargers in her career after totaling 28 kills in Hillsdale's five set victory over second-seeded Lewis in last season's NCAA DII Tournament. She added a second record on Sept. 8, serving up eight aces in a four-set win over Wayne State at the Findlay Classic to surpass the previous record of six. A first-team All-G-MAC player in 2022, Popplewell has been even better so far in 2023, leading the Chargers in kills, earning back-to-back All-Tournament team honors at Hillsdale's two season-opening tournaments, and following that up by making the All-Midwest Region Crossover team last weekend.
- Setter Lauren Passaglia had a strong season in 2022 in her first time in the starting role, finishing with 1,175 assists, the fifth most by a Charger in a single season in the history of the rally-score, side out era. Her 1,886 career assists already rank 8th all-time in program history and she has a shot to move up the list considerably over the rest of this season. Passaglia is off to a hot start, earning All-Tournament team honors for her performances at both the UP Open and the Findlay Classic to start the season.
- Junior Maizie Brown is having her best season to date, currently sitting in second in the G-MAC with 23 solo blocks at the net while also putting up career highs in both kills per set (1.79) and hitting percentage (.366). The three-time All-G-MAC honoree is a force at the net. Last season, in 2022, Brown put up 130 blocks, the sixth-most by a Charger in the 25-point, rally-scoring era, and her 106 block assists were seventh most in a season. Entering this weekend, she has 308 blocks for her career, eighth most all-time at Hillsdale.
- Seniors Audrey Riley and Megan Kolp originally planned to graduate after the 2022 season, but both decided in the spring to use the extra year of eligibility they received from the Covid-19 pandemic to return for a fifth season. Both players are multi-year contributors for the Chargers and will be an important part of Hillsdale's squad in 2023.
- 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. Five Hillsdale players have older siblings who are or were Chargers – libero Chloe Pierce's older sister, Sophia, is a former Hillsdale women's basketball player, front row player Adi Sysum is the younger sister of former women's basketball player Arianna Sysum, and setter Josie TeSlaa is the younger sister of former Charger football player Isaac TeSlaa. Wiese is following in the footsteps of her older sister, Taylor, who was Hillsdale's starting libero for four years from 2016-2019. There's also a pair of siblings who are both currently on the roster for the Chargers, as freshman Greta Wise joins her older sister, Jaclyn Wise, on the squad as well.
- Already the winningest coach in Hillsdale College history across all sports, Chris Gravel is fast approaching another historic wins milestone. The 28-year head coaching veteran is just two wins away from reaching 600 wins for his career, and could reach the milestone this weekend. Just 10 active coaches at the NCAA DII level have over 600 wins, meaning Gravel would be entering a very exclusive club by reaching the milestone.
- Hillsdale has extensive history with all three opponents this weekend. The Chargers are 36-20 against Ashland since 1998 in a long-running series between the two programs, but are looking for revenge after the Eagles snapped a four-match Hillsdale winning streak with a sweep of the Chargers at Ashland in 2022. The Chargers are 16-1 all-time against Ohio Dominican and are on a 10-match winning streak, with the Panthers' last win in the series coming in 2014. Hillsdale also has nine straight wins over Findlay and leads the all-time series with the Oilers 33-18.