Schedule
RV Hillsdale (11-2, 5-1 G-MAC) vs Parkside (7-9, 3-5 GLIAC) | 10 a.m. ET Friday, Oct. 18 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
RV Hillsdale (11-2, 5-1 G-MAC) vs Rockhurst (10-5, 4-2 GLVC) | 3 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 18 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
RV Hillsdale (11-2, 5-1 G-MAC) vs TBD | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 19 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video | Crossover Central
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Parkside Roster | Rockhurst Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Parkside Stats | Rockhurst Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #6 Amanda Hilliker, Sr., L/DS, Byron Center, MI/Byron Center (7th G-MAC in D/S); #9 Adi Sysum, Jr., MH, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (7th G-MAC in B/S); #11 Lauren Passaglia, Sr., S/OH, Cary, IL/Cary Grove (6th G-MAC in A/S, 8th in SA/S); #13 Marilyn Popplewell, Sr., OH, Mason, OH/Mason (2nd G-MAC in K/S, 1st in P/S, 2nd in SA/S, 10th in D/S, 10^th in hitting %)

Parkside: #1 Natalie Harris, So., DS, Racine, WI/Case (1^st GLIAC in D/S); #4 Sam Fisch, So., MB, Dousman, WI/Luther Prep (5^th GLIAC in K/S, 7^th in P/S); #6 Karlee Lois, Sr., S, Union Grove, WI/Union Grove/Wheeling (6th GLIAC in A/S); #22 Ava Irvin, Jr., OH, Rockford, IL/Belvedere North (3^rd  GLIAC in K/S, 3^rd in P/S)

Rockhurst: #5 Sarah Montague, Sr., S, Omaha, NE/Marian (2nd GLVC in SA/S, 9th in A/S); #8 Tara Reberry, Sr., RS, Pleasant Hill, MO/Pleasant Hill (7th GLVC in P/S, 8^th in K/s, 3^rd in hitting %); #10 Diana Heitkamp, Sr., L, Overland Park, KS/St. James Academy (3rd GLVC in D/S, 5^th in SA/S); #11 Ali Olson, So., MH, Mission, KS/Bishop Miege (6th GLVC in B/S)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition
Parkside: The Rangers were one of the biggest positive surprises in the GLIAC last season, finishing an impressive third with a 19-12 record to break out after five consecutive finishes in the bottom half of the league. So far in 2023, Parkside has come back to earth a bit with a 3-5 record in conference play, but the Rangers will look to turn things around starting with the crossover.

Parkside has experience, with four All-GLIAC honorees returning from last season, and two extremely dangerous offensive players up front in junior Ava Irvin and sophomore Sam Fisch, who are both in the top five in the GLIAC in kills per set, with Sierra Kilbourn and Elizabeth Truckenbrod also playing important roles. Karlee Lois is the team's setter and a returning All-GLIAC player along with Irvin and Fisch.

The Rangers tend to play extended rallies, leading the GLIAC in digs per set, and lean heavily on libero Natalie Harris who leads the GLIAC individually as well with 4.69 digs per set. While Harris is a standout, Parkside's inability to generate quick first ball kills has hurt the Rangers in their losses this season, and more offensive efficiency will be critical to a strong second half finish.

Parkside is coached by 2023 GLIAC Coach of the Year Leigh Barea, who is in her seventh year as head coach of the program and looking to build off last season's breakthrough.
 
Rockhurst: A historical powerhouse in the Midwest Region and perennial NCAA Tournament qualifiers with three Midwest Regional championships in the last decade, the Hawks have an impeccable pedigree as they look to add a fourth trophy this season.

Rockhurst is built around a veteran core of multi-year starters, who all returned for one more shot at regional glory. That group is headlined by stellar libero and two-time All-American Maureen Reilly, and returning All-American right side Tara Reberry, both four-year starters and among the top players in the region at their positions. Setter Sarah Montague and outside hitter Kenzie Hines are also fifth-year players with significant starting experience.

Along with that group, sophomore Ali Olson is a strong middle hitter, while Sarah Pyle, Sydney Raszler and Alyssa McDonald all provide attacking support. Molly Trachta also plays as a setter for the Hawks in their 6-2 system.

The Crossover is a critical moment for a Rockhurst team full of players in their final season – while all of Rockhurst's five losses are to high-quality teams and understandable, they do put the Hawks on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament currently in a region full of powerhouse teams with few defeats. Continuing to add wins over strong teams is vital to Rockhurst's tourney chances and this weekend is a perfect chance to do just that.

 
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale picked up a huge victory over Findlay in a rivalry showdown last Wednesday, but must refocus after a shocking upset loss at Tiffin on Saturday brought them back to earth. The Chargers are still the top seed in the G-MAC currently, and can greatly help their chances of making the NCAA Tournament and getting a high seed with a strong showing at the Midwest Regional Crossover this weekend. The Chargers will play two matches on Friday, with the results of those matches determining who Hillsdale will face in the third and final match on Saturday.

The Chargers return a deep and talented roster full of meaningful postseason experience in 2024 as they look to capture their eighth-straight G-MAC Tournament title, win their seventh regular season title in eight seasons, and earn what would be their seventh straight NCAA DII Midwest Regional appearance, and eighth in nine seasons.

Hillsdale has a ton of experienced attacking talent up from to work with, led by returning honorable mention All-American Marilyn Popplewell, who holds the program's single-match records for both kills and digs and is entering her fourth season as a significant contributor. Hillsdale has another strong veteran in the middle in senior Maizie Brown, the 2023 G-MAC Tournament MVP and a four-time All-G-MAC player who's back for a fifth season. Along with those two veteran stalwarts, outside hitters Marcelina Gorny and Greta Wise and middles Sydney Sahr and Adi Sysum give Hillsdale plenty of talented options up front.

Directing the attack for the third straight season is senior setter and two-time All-G-MAC honoree Lauren Passaglia. The talented left-hander's hitting chops and versatility allow Hillsdale to flow freely into a variety of offensive sets and make the Chargers difficult to defend. Junior Josie TeSlaa also plays setter for Hillsdale and can play at the same time as Passaglia, giving the Chargers an impressive array of options when the ball is on their side of the court. A group of talented freshmen that includes four gifted attacking players improve Hillsdale's depth even further.

While Hillsdale's front row is loaded, the Chargers do have a big hole to fill with the graduation of libero Alli Wiese, who rewrote the Hillsdale record book for her position and became the first libero to earn conference Player of the Year honors in 2023. While that level of production will be tough to replace, Hillsdale has talented and experienced options to fill in the gap, including senior Amanda Hilliker, who played significant time in 2023, as well as sophomore Chloe Pierce and TeSlaa.

Coaching the Chargers for the 29^th 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 10 conference regular season titles, 10 conference tournament titles, made 15 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 16^th Midwest Region Crossover, and Hillsdale has played in every edition, dating back to 2008, with a 29-15 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. Eleven 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). Senior Marilyn Popplewell was recognized in 2023 as part of the All-Crossover team, and junior Maizie Brown is a returning honoree as well, having made the All-Crossover team in 2021.
• Chris Gravel reached an important milestone last season with his 600^th career coaching victory, all at Hillsdale, and is one of just 12 active coaches at the NCAA DII level to surpass that milestone. His 620 AVCA-recognized victories rank him tied for 11^th among all active coaches. Gravel has multiple showdowns this season with other coaches in the 600-win club, as Tampa's Chris Catanach and old friend and rival Wick Colchagoff of Findlay both put their teams up against Hillsdale this season.
• Hillsdale's loss to Tiffin caused the Chargers to drop out of the latest AVCA Top 25 poll, but Hillsdale remains one of the top teams receiving votes in the poll. The Chargers have been mentioned in all seven AVCA NCAA DII Top 25 polls this season, the first five weeks as an honorable mention. The Chargers are one of five Midwest Region teams to be ranked or receiving votes in this week's poll, and the only squad from the G-MAC. The Chargers also were one of the top vote-getters in the 2024 G-MAC Preseason Coaches poll, and named the favorite to win the North Division.
• The Chargers enter the 2024 season looking to extend their dominance of the G-MAC for another campaign. Hillsdale has won six of the last seven regular season titles and seven G-MAC tournament titles in a row since joining the conference in 2017, and are 107-8 all-time in G-MAC regular season matches, as well as a perfect 20-0 in G-MAC Tournament matches.
• Returning All-American Marilyn Popplewell became the 13^th member of an exclusive club at Hillsdale in a sweep of Ohio Dominican earlier this season, surpassing 1,000 kills for her career. Popplewell is the first Hillsdale player to reach this milestone since former teammate Karoline Shelton in 2021. The outside hitter broke out early in her career, leading the Chargers with 18 kills in Hillsdale's Midwest Regional championship victory over Ferris State as a freshman in 2021. In the last two years she's built off that initial success with back-to-back first-team All-G-MAC honors, putting up the eighth and ninth-best single season kills totals as a junior and sophomore, and setting single-match records for kills (28) in Hillsdale's five-set NCAA Tournament upset of Lewis in 2022 and aces with eight in a four-set win over Wayne State last season. A star in every facet of the game, she is currently first in the G-MAC in points per set and second in both service aces per set, and kills per set through six weeks, while also ranking 10^th in hitting percentage and digs per set.  She also ranks 10^th nationally in points per set, 19^th in kills per set, and 45^th in service aces per set.
• Maizie Brown returns to Hillsdale for a rare fifth season thanks to a waiver created by the Covid-19 pandemic, and is already in the history books for the Chargers as one of the finest middle hitters in the program's duration. A four-time All-G-MAC honoree and the 2023 G-MAC Tournament MVP, Brown ranks sixth all-time in program history with 414 blocks entering this weekend. She set a single-season program record in 2023 with 44 solo blocks, surpassing 2012 All-American Lauren Grover's 39, and her 123 total blocks in 2023 rank eighth all-time.
• Senior Lauren Passaglia is a unique weapon for Hillsdale, as both an elite setter with two All-G-MAC honors, and a dangerous attacking player as a hitter as well. Passaglia proved her versatility again in mid-September by leading the Chargers to an undefeated record at their home "Net Results" Invite and earning Tournament MVP honors as well. Her flexibility enables a variety of lineups and tactics for head coach Chris Gravel to deploy. A third-year starter, Passaglia ranks seventh all-time in program history in assists with 2,658 entering this weekend.
• The Chargers' imposing front line has been making an impact defensively for Hillsdale in a strong start so far. Hillsdale's 2.28 blocks per set ranks second in the G-MAC and 36^th nationally, helping the Chargers control opposing teams offensively in matches. Hillsdale also ranks 27^th nationally and second in the G-MAC in hitting percentage with .250, and is the top serve-receive team in the G-MAC with just 1.19 aces conceded per set.
• 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. four 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. There's also a pair of siblings who are both currently on the roster for the Chargers, as sophomore Greta Wise joins her older sister, Jaclyn, on the squad as well.
• Hillsdale has only one prior meeting with Parkside, at the 2011 Midwest Regional Crossover, where the Chargers swept the Rangers as part of a season that ended with Hillsdale in the Final Four. The Chargers are 3-4 in seven meetings with Rockhurst dating back to 2012, with four of those contests coming in the Crossover and split 2-2 evenly. Hillsdale fell to Rockhurst in the 2019 Midwest Regional Final in their only postseason meeting.

 Photo by Kenneth Gaudet