Schedule
Kentucky Wesleyan (0-11, 0-3 G-MAC) at RV Hillsdale (8-1, 3-0 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. EDT Friday, Oct. 4 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Thomas More (9-5, 4-1 G-MAC) at RV Hillsdale (8-1, 3-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 5 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | KWC Roster | Thomas More Roster | Hillsdale Stats | KWC Stats | Thomas More Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch

Kentucky Wesleyan: #4 Julia Kupper, Sr., S, Louisville, KY (2nd G-MAC in SA/S, 1st Tm in A/S); #14 Grace Carter, Fr., OH, Alton, IL (1st Tm in K/S); #15 Embry Burgess, Sr., DS, Bowling Green, KY (1st Tm in D/S); #17 Havana John, Jr., MB, Owensboro, KY (1st Tm in B/S)
 
Thomas More: #1 Asia Ferrando, Sr., DS, Masone, Italy (3rd G-MAC in in D/S); #4 Ebony Gomez, Jr., OH/RS, Merida, Venezuela (4th G-MAC in K/S, 5th in P/S); #8 Emily Acito, Jr., OH, Cincinnati, OH (7th G-MAC in SA/S, 10th in D/S); #24 Brenna Young, Jr., MB, Crestwood, KY (9th G-MAC in B/S)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition

Kentucky Wesleyan: The Panthers are a program that's still in rebuilding mode, looking for the program's first G-MAC Tourney appearance since 2018. This season, a tough schedule to start has KWC still seeking its first win entering the weekend.

KWC is a scrappy team that takes after its top player, senior Julia Kupper, a setter in her fourth season with the program who's also one of the top servers in the conference. Libero Embry Burgess, in her second season with the Panthers after transferring from Lindsey Wilson College, has been solid defensively as well.

Where the Panthers have struggled is in generating enough offense to keep pace with the top teams on their schedule. KWC is 12th in kills and 13th in hitting percentage in the conference, and lean heavily on two freshmen, Grace Carter and Kamryn Parlin, to generate kills. The Panthers' hopes for the season rest on their young attacking squad continuing to grow and improve rapidly with experience.

KWC faces a tough test on Friday with defending champion Hillsdale, but the Panthers are coming off their best showing of the season to date last Saturday.
 
Thomas More: In just its second season in the G-MAC and at the NCAA DII level, Thomas More has made a huge leap so far in 2024, winning nine of its first 14 matches and leading the G-MAC South Division currently.

The Saints' success is tied heavily to serving and defense. Thomas More is one of the top serving teams in the G-MAC, averaging 1.88 aces per set, and the top team currently in the conference in both serve-receive (1.27 aces conceded per set) and opponent hitting percentage (.124).

Senior Asia Ferrando is one of the conference's top liberos, while outside hitter Emily Acito and defensive specialist Ruthie Neu contribute heavily to the team's back-row success, while also being top-notch servers.

Up front, Ebony Gomez has made a huge leap as an offensive player in her third season, sitting among the G-MAC leaders in kills per set, while Acito and Sydney Hilderbran have also been important contributors. Middle hitter Brenna Young and right side Kat Koepke also provide offensive support.

A loss to Lake Erie on Sunday ended Thomas More's undefeated league start, but the Saints are still in a solid position to make the G-MAC Tourney and could solidify things against two of the G-MAC's top teams this weekend.

 
Scouting the Chargers

Hillsdale came out victorious in a North Division showdown against Northwood on Saturday, and now, after two weekends of conference play, stands alone as the only team unbeaten in G-MAC matches. The Chargers look to continue to stay ahead of the pack and build on their advantage with two more home contests this weekend.

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

• 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 617 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 is an honorable mention team for the fifth straight week in the AVCA NCAA DII Top 25. The Chargers are one of six 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 104-7 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 on Friday, 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. She currently leads the G-MAC in points per set and is second in kills per set through four weeks, while ranking in the top 25 nationally in both stats.
• 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 407 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 2,552 entering this weekend.
• The Chargers' imposing front line has been making an impact defensively for Hillsdale in a strong start so far. Hillsdale's 2.41 blocks per set ranks second in the G-MAC and 27^th nationally, helping the Chargers control opposing teams offensively in matches. Hillsdale also is the top serving team in the G-MAC, with 1.91 aces 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 had strong showings against its opponents this weekend. The Chargers are a perfect 10-0 against Kentucky Wesleyan with only one set dropped in 10 matches since 2017. Thomas More, the newest G-MAC member, has only met the Chargers once, with Hillsdale taking a 3-0 sweep last season.