Schedule
Hillsdale (6-7, 4-3 G-MAC) vs Missouri-St. Louis (13-4, 6-0 GLVC) | 12:30 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 17 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
Hillsdale (6-7, 4-3 G-MAC) vs RV Wayne St. (12-3, 6-2 GLIAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 17 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
Hillsdale (6-7, 4-3 G-MAC) vs TBD | 12:30 or 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 18 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, IN
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | UMSL Roster | Wayne St. Roster | Hillsdale Stats | UMSL Stats | Wayne St. Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #1 Ella Byrum, rFr., DS/L, Kokomo, IN/Northwestern (8th G-MAC in D/S); #2 Jenna Southland, So., MH, Three Rivers, MI/Three Rivers (4th G-MAC in B/S); #9 Adi Sysum, Sr., MH, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (2nd G-MAC in hitting %, 9th in B/S); #15 Josie TeSlaa, Sr., S/DS, Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian (7th G-MAC in A/S)

UMSL: #5 Caitlin Bishop, Sr., S, Lansing, KS/Lansing (1^st GLVC in A/S); #9 Maggie Johnson, So., OH, Davenport, IA/Assumption (6^th GLVC in K/S); #12 Skylar Weaver, Jr., DS/L, Selma, IN/Wapahani/Ball St. (1^st GLVC in D/S); #14 Alayna Santel, So., RS, Albers, IL/Central Community (2nd GLVC in K/S, 2nd in P/S, 5^th in SA/S, 10^th in hitting %)

Wayne St.: #5 Kayla Dulgar, Jr., S, Warsaw, OH/River View (2^nd GLIAC in A/S); #6 Kendyl Andrews, Sr., DS/L, Flushing, MI/Flushing (4^th GLIAC in D/S; #11 Kayla Giroux, Sr., MB, Flat Rock, MI/Flat Rock (1^st GLIAC in P/S, 1^st in hitting %, 2^nd in K/S); #15 Katerina Stout, Fr., MB, Macomb, MI/Dakota (2^nd GLIAC in B/S, 8^th in hitting %)
 
 
Scouting the Opposition
UMSL: Since making the NCAA Midwest Regional for the first time in nine seasons in 2019, the Tritons have been one of the elite programs in the region, qualifying for five straight NCAA Tournaments and winning Midwest Region titles and making Final Four appearances in 2022 and 2023.

So far, head coach Ryan Young looks like he has another team capable of extending that run of excellent results. UMSL enters the crossover alone in first in the GLVC and as one of just two unbeaten teams in conference play, with a 13-4 mark overall. Three of those losses have come to teams that either are currently in, or have spent time in, the national rankings this year.

UMSL boasts the top offense in the GLVC in points and kills per set, thanks in large part to the steady guidance of multi-time All-American setter Caitlin Bishop. Returning All-Midwest Region honoree Alayna Santel is the top threat on the outside, but sophomore Maggie Johnson has emerged as a great complimentary piece and Hannah Copeland and Iyannah Jackson are solid options in their own right.

Skylar Weaver returns as the Tritons' libero for the second season and has put up impressive numbers.

Hillsdale is 4-4 against UMSL under head coach Chris Gravel, and has won the last two meetings with the Tritons, a 3-0 sweep in 2018 at a tournament in Findlay, and a 3-2 victory in 2021 at a tournament in Ferris St.

Wayne St.: The Warriors have been building towards this season for a while under head coach Tim Koth, with a 20-win campaign in 2021 the previous high water mark under the veteran head coach. This year looks like it could be Wayne State's best since a 26-win squad in 1994 with a team that's already banked 12 wins and handed GLIAC title contender Grand Valley St. a shocking loss.

Wayne State is built around All-American middle hitter Kayla Giroux, the rare Division II player who produces with volume (3.80 kills per set) and accuracy (.386) and one of the most dangerous attackers in the Midwest Region. Two Division I transfers, Paige Glehtbrock and Leigha Baldwin, back up Giroux on the attack, and the Warriors have a second budding star in the middle for when Giroux rotates to the back row in freshman Katerina Stout.

The Warriors are strong offensively thanks to veteran setter Kayla Dulgar, now in her third season as a starter at Wayne State and producing at a level that's on par with any setter in the GLIAC so far. Wayne State also has a veteran at libero in third-year starter Kendyl Andrews.

As a former member of the GLIAC, Hillsdale is familiar with seeing Wayne State on the other side of the net, with the Chargers holding a 28-14 lead in 42 matches against the Warriors under head coach Chris Gravel. Hillsdale won a 3-1 match over the Warriors in 2023 in their last meeting and have been victorious in 11 of the last 12 matches against Wayne St., with the lone exception a five-set loss in 2016.

Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale split at home this past weekend, falling to nationally-ranked Findlay in three sets but sweeping Tiffin to enter the Midwest Region Crossover at 4-3 in G-MAC play and as the sixth seed for the conference. With a slate of tough opponents ahead in Hammond, the Chargers will aim to pull some upsets and build their own resume before returning to conference play next week.

On an otherwise inexperienced team, Hillsdale does return three key contributors who played major roles in seasons past: senior Adi Sysum, who was part of the team's middle hitter rotation and finished fourth on the Chargers in points and second in blocks in 2024, senior Josie TeSlaa, who was one of the team's two setters in Hillsdale's 6-2 lineup and played in every match last year, and junior Chloe Pierce, who played an important role in the back row for the Chargers last season.

Retooling the front row will be a priority for Hillsdale as the Chargers lose several key contributors on the attack. Along with Sysum, Hillsdale also is giving more opportunities to sophomores Caroline Lanicek, Hannah Baker and Jenna Southland, while junior Molly Kennedy has had a bigger role in recent weeks as well. In its most recent match, the Chargers also got Ellie Fles back in the lineup after she missed several matches with an injury, and the sophomore was a game-changer as well for the Hillsdale attack with a double-double.

Two players who missed the 2024 season with injuries are already making big contributions. Junior Emory Braswell was second on the team in kills in 2023 before missing all of 2024, and is getting ample playing time on the outside . Redshirt freshman Ella Byrum was pushing hard for playing time in the back row in the 2024 preseason as well before suffering a season-ending injury, and now that she's healthy has taken on the starting libero role for the Chargers. Freshmen Madison Peal and Grace Drake are regulars for the Chargers as well, and Taylor Cook also has contributed.

Coaching the Chargers for the 30^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 11 conference regular season titles, 10 conference tournament titles, made 16 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 17^th Midwest Region Crossover, and Hillsdale has played in every edition, dating back to 2008, with a 31-16 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. Thirteen 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). This is the lowest seed the Chargers have entered a Midwest Region Crossover since 2014, when Hillsdale was seeded eighth as a member of the GLIAC.
• All matches this weekend will be streamed pay-per-view on BallerTV, with links available on hillsdalechargers.com. The Chargers will play two matches on Friday, with the results of those matches determining what time and which team Hillsdale will play in its final match on Saturday, either at 12:30 or 3 PM ET.
• Hillsdale posted its best-ever year in the classroom in 2024-25, with the highest cumulative GPA in program history and the top cumulative GPA among all Hillsdale College athletics teams. Two returning starters for Hillsdale played a big role in that accomplishment, as senior Josie TeSlaa and junior Chloe Pierce each earned CSC Academic All-District honors for their performance in the classroom last season.
• Entering his 30^th season at Hillsdale, Chris Gravel has proved himself as one of the elite college volleyball coaches in the country. His 637 AVCA-recognized victories rank 10^th among all active coaches at the NCAA DII level, and his .690 winning percentage ranks 25^th, and 11^th among active coaches with 20 or more campaigns. He is one of just 10 active NCAA DII coaches with 600 or more wins in his career.
• Hillsdale's defense has been active in the Chargers' two opening tournaments, as Hillsdale currently ranks fourth in the G-MAC in team digs per set with 16.43, and third in opponent service aces with 1.20 per set. Freshmen Madison Peal and Ella Byrum both rank in the top 10 individually in the G-MAC in digs per set as well. The Chargers will aim to convert their defensive performances into success at the Midwest Region Crossover this weekend.
• The healthy return of sophomore outside hitter Ellie Fles has been huge for the Chargers offensively in the last two weeks. Fles came up big in Hillsdale's sweep of previous G-MAC unbeaten Thomas More two weekends ago, leading the Chargers with 11 kills and adding 10 digs for her first career double-double. The sophomore then exploded for a career high 21 kills and 13 digs for another double-double in a win over Tiffin. The threat of Fles as an attacker also is creating more opportunities for players like Caroline Lanicek and Emory Braswell to impact the match on the outside.
• Senior Adi Sysum has been an important weapon upfront for the Chargers so far and earned G-MAC North Division Player of the Week on Oct. 6 for helping Hillsdale sweep both matches of its Kentucky trip. A middle hitter, Sysum has been efficient on offense, hitting .381, the second-best mark in G-MAC play, with 2.37 kills per set, and has been a key player defensively, with 0.84 blocks per set, the ninth best mark in conference play and tops for the Chargers.
• Sysum's counterpart in the middle hitter rotation, Jenna Southland, is emerging as an impact player in her own right. Southland is developing into a strong front row defensive player in the conference, currently ranking fourth in the G-MAC with 0.95 blocks per set, and her 2.45 kills per set rank second behind Fles among Chargers.
• 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. Two 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 an