The Hillsdale College women's basketball team hasn't shied away from tough tests on the road over the years.
This may be a first in terms of the length of the road they're traveling, however.
The Chargers are off to The Last Frontier this weekend, traveling to Anchorage, Alaska for the first time in program history to take on an Alaska Anchorage squad that's ranked in or near the top 10 in every Division II poll, as well as an intriguing Fairbanks team.
Hillsdale will look to acquit themselves well against challenging competition and return to Michigan with some momentum once the weekend is done.
Schedule
Hillsdale (0-2, 0-0 G-MAC) at #5/#12 Alaska Anchorage (1-0, 0-0 GNAC) | 9:15 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 19 | Alaska Airlines Center | Anchorage, AK
Hillsdale (0-2, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Alaska Fairbanks (0-0, 0-0 GNAC) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 20 | Alaska Airlines Center | Anchorage, AK
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Anchorage | Webcast vs Anchorage | Tickets vs Anchorage | Live Stats vs Fairbanks | Webcast vs Fairbanks | Tickets vs Fairbanks
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Anchorage Roster | Fairbanks Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Anchorage Stats | 2019-20 Fairbanks Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Dani Salenbien, So., G, Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian (4.5 ppg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (15.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 bpg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (7.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 3.5 apg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg); #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (2.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg)
Anchorage: #5 Jazzpher Evans, Fr., G, Shorewood, IL/Joliet West, Quincy University (13.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg); #3 Lauren Johnson, Sr., G, Crystal, MN, Robbinsdale Cooper, North Dakota St. (10.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg); #25 Tennae Voliva, Sr., F, Anchorage, AK/East Anchorage (10.0 ppg, 3 rpg, 4 apg, 5 spg); #13 Jahna Hajdukovich, Jr., G, Anchorage, AK/Dimond (9 ppg, 3 rpg), #2 Nicole Pinckney, Jr., G, Chugiak, AK/Chugiak (8 ppg, 5 apg, 2 spg)
Fairbanks: #1 Ellen Silva, So., F, Fairbanks, AK/Anchorage (DII Transfer); #4 Zosha Krupa, Sr., G, Sitka, AK/Sitka (2.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg in 2019-20); #11 Caitlin Pusich, So., F, Juneau, AK/Juneau (1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg in 2019-20); #20 Olivia Kraska, So., F, Fairbanks, AK/Lathrop (1.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg in 2019-20); #23 Sam Tolliver, So, G, Seattle, WA/Garfield (13.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 spg in 2019-20)
Scouting the Opposition
Anchorage: The Seawolves are a Division II powerhouse, having made seven straight NCAA DII Tournament appearances under coach Ryan McCarthy, including a national runner-up finish in 2016.
Anchorage sat out last season entirely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that hasn't dimmed them in the national polls' eyes, as they were picked fifth in the NABC Preseason Top 25 and 12th in the D2SIDA rankings. Their patented up-tempo "Mayhem" style forces opponents to play at an accelerated pace and is extremely difficult for opponents to deal with.
A 31-2 team in 2019-20 when they were last in action, Anchorage loses several players from that squad but returns two starters in senior forward Tennae Voliva and junior guard Jahna Hajdukovich, as well as three key substitutes in Lauren Johnson, a North Dakota St. transfer, Lauren Johnson and Rachel Ingram.
The Seawolves are expecting big things from redshirt freshman guard Jazzpher Evans, a Quincy transfer, and also boast a deep bench that they used to full effect in a 100-43 victory over Johnson & Wales College in their season opener on Nov. 5.
McCarthy boasts a 224-36 record at Anchorage, having transformed the Seawolves into one of the premier West Coast teams at the DII level. An Anchorage native, McCarthy spent five years at GNAC rival Northwest Nazarene as an assistant and interim head coach before returning home.
Fairbanks: After a 7-22 mark in 2019-20 and no season in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nanooks are starting fresh in the 2021-22 season. Four starters are gone from the last time Fairbanks took the floor, with sophomore guard Sam Tolliver the lone holdover from two seasons ago.
Tolliver, the team's second-leading scorer in 2019-20, is a solid foundation for Fairbanks to build off of, and the team added some talented new faces in the two-year break, including Anchorage transfer and Fairbanks native Ellen Silva, as well as forward Emma Wass from Montana. A four-player freshman class figures to get plenty of chances to contribute early on.
Several holdovers will look to step into bigger roles as well, including Zosha Krupa, Caitlin Pusch and Olivia Kraska. Fairbanks is at a slight disadvantage this weekend with so many new faces and as the only team in the four-team event who hasn't played a game yet.
Fairbanks is coached by Jessie Craig, who took over as the interim head coach in the offseason. Prior to taking the head job, Craig was an assistant with the Nanooks for four seasons.
Scouting Hillsdale
After a difficult, injury-plagued season in 2020-21, a mix of experienced returners and exciting incoming talent has the Hillsdale College women's basketball team aiming for a great leap forward in 2021-22.
The Chargers return four starters from last season's 4-17 team, led by junior forward Sydney Mills, who averaged 14.8 points and 10.4 rebounds and earned second-team All-G-MAC honors, and senior combo guard Grace Touchette, who chipped in 13.5 points as well.
Along with those two dependable leaders, Hillsdale also returns two breakout players from 2020-21, junior Arianna Sysum and sophomore Dani Salenbien, who both performed well above expectations last season and should continue to improve this year with more experience under their belts.
The Chargers also have one of the best reserve players in the conference in senior Lauren Daffenberg, who shot 40.8 percent from 3-point range and averaged 11.4 points off the bench for the Chargers, and reserve forward Maverick Delp, who logged critical minutes in the paint last season.
Added to that nucleus is a six-player incoming class of four freshmen and two transfers who should contribute right away and add critical depth the Chargers lacked throughout 2020-21 as a wave of injuries took their toll.
In particular, freshmen Peighton Nelson, Caitlin Splain and Carly Callahan could all contend for major minutes early, while Kendall McCormick and Colorado Mesa transfer Noelle Lavery also will be in position to meaningfully contribute as the year wears on.
Hillsdale is coached by Charlie Averkamp, who returns for his second season with the Chargers this year, along with two new assistants, Brianna Brennan and Brooke Bailey.
Other Notes
- The Chargers were picked to finish 11th in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, in line with their 11th place finish in 2020-21. Hillsdale was picked to finish ahead of Lake Erie in 12th place, with two teams tied for ninth just ahead of the Chargers – Trevecca Nazarene and Ursuline. Walsh was picked as the favorite to win the league, with conference newcomer Ashland close behind in second place.
- This is the first time the Chargers have traveled to Alaska to play either the Seawolves or Nanooks, but it's not the first trip outside of the contiguous 48 United States for the women's basketball program. Past trips have included tournaments in Cancun, Mexico in 2000, the Bahamas in 2006 and Hawaii in 2011, but it's the first time in a decade the Chargers have made such a trip.
- Three freshmen are seeing early playing time for the Chargers. Peighton Nelson is starting at point guard for Hillsdale and making an impact on both ends of the floor, with four steals and two games so far. Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain are also getting early minutes off the bench, and Splain had a big night in just her second game with the Chargers in a 79-70 loss to Northwood on Saturday, shooting 54% from 3-point range and knocking down seven to lead all scorers.
- Junior Arianna Sysum is building off the breakout season she had as a sophomore with further improvements this season. The Eaton Rapids native had 19 points and seven rebounds in the Chargers' loss to Northwood on Saturday. It's continued growth for a player who went from scoring eight total points as a freshman in 2019-20 to averaging nearly 10 points a game as a sophomore last season.
- Junior Sydney Mills also had a breakout season as a sophomore, averaging a double-double with 14.8 points and a G-MAC leading 10.4 rebounds per game and earning second-team All-G-MAC honors. Mills had one of the best all-around games in a decade last season against Ursuline, scoring a career-high 34 points that were the most by a Charger woman in a single game since All-American Megan Fogt scored 41 against Walsh in the 2013-14 season. Mills also grabbed 13 rebounds in that contest.
- Senior Lauren Daffenberg enters the season already entrenched high on the Chargers' all-time 3-pointers made list. Daffenberg is 5th in Hillsdale history in career made 3-pointers with 175, eight behind Jenn Carlson (2003-07) and her 183 made 3-pointers for fourth all-time. The record-holder for the Chargers is Chelsea Harrison, with 237 made 3-pointers in her career. Daffenberg may not be the only active player on the list for long – senior Grace Touchette has 126 3-pointers, just nine behind Liz Cibor's 135, and could break into the top 10 soon.