Schedule
#5 Hillsdale (13-11, 11-4 G-MAC) at #4 Walsh (20-9, 12-4 G-MAC) | 6 p.m. ET Tuesday, Nov. 18 | Cecchini Center | Walsh, OH
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Walsh Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Walsh Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #2 Jenna Southland, So., MH, Three Rivers, MI/Three Rivers (4th G-MAC in B/S); #5 Chloe Pierce, rJr., DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (10^th G-MAC in D/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)

Walsh: #2 AJ Burick, So., S, Louisville, OH/Louisville (8th G-MAC in A/S); #3 Kameron Stover, Fr., RS, Centerburg, OH/Highland (1st G-MAC in K/S, P/S); #7 Locie Levengood, So., DS, Bolivar, OH/Tusky Valley (5th G-MAC in D/S); #13 Sammie DiBease, Sr., OH, Perry, OH/Perry (11th G-MAC in K/S, 8th in P/S)
 
Scouting the Opposition

#4 Walsh: The Cavaliers are the higher seed in Tuesday's match but will have to break out of a recent slump to advance in the G-MAC Tourney, as all four of Walsh's conference losses came in the last three weeks.

Walsh's top asset in a G-MAC East title-winning season has been a ferocious offense led by freshman phenom Kameron Stover, who's leading the G-MAC in kills and points per set. She's got great support from returning first-team All-G-MAC outside hitter Sammie DiBease, a major threat in her own right, as well as Lee transfer Grace Mazzocca. Sophomore AJ Burick and Gardner-Webb grad transfer Megan Hornaday split the setting duties for the Cavaliers.

Locie Levengood is the team's libero, stepping in to the role occupied in the past by her sister Arora and playing well, with Sabrina Da Silva also contributing in the back row.

Hillsdale was one of the contributors to Walsh's late slide that saw the Cavaliers drop from the 1 to the 4 seed, winning a five-set match against Walsh at home. The Cavaliers now get the Chargers in their home gym and will be looking to extend their season and get some revenge on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers have struggled against Hillsdale, with a 1-18 record all time.
 
Scouting the Chargers

Hillsdale enters the G-MAC tournament with the lowest seed it's ever had since joining the league in 2017, but a ton of momentum after stunning nationally-ranked Findlay in five sets in the final day of the season. While there's a long path ahead of the Chargers, Hillsdale now ranks as an intriguing dark horse to both pull some upsets, and, if the chips fall their way, potentially take the title.
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 recent weeks, the Chargers also got Ellie Fles back in the lineup after she missed several matches with an injury, and the sophomore has been a game-changer as well for the Hillsdale attack with several double-doubles. Marcelina Gorny also made her season debut after recovering from an injury to add to Hillsdale's front row as well.

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. Freshmen Madison Peal and Grace Drake have been coming on strong in recent weeks for Hillsdale, with Drake's versatility playing a big part in Hillsdale's lineups in recent weeks, 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

• Hillsdale is in the G-MAC Tournament for the ninth straight season, and the Chargers have a storied history as a participant, with seven G-MAC titles in eight trips and have a 21-1 record all-time in G-MAC Tourney matches. The Chargers also have a perfect 8-0 record in matches in the quarterfinal round. While Hillsdale has been the most successful G-MAC team in tournament history, Walsh has had its own solid run, with five G-MAC quarterfinal victories in eight seasons in the conference as well.
• 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.
• In his 30^th season at Hillsdale, Chris Gravel has proved himself as one of the elite college volleyball coaches in the country. His 644 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.
• Ellie Fles missed much of September with an injury but has been indispensable for the Chargers since returning and had the finest match of her career to lead the Chargers past G-MAC North Division champion Findlay in five sets last week, hitting .463 with 21 kills and five total blocks. The sophomore has been a key weapon for the Chargers offensively, leading Hillsdale in kills per set, and will be critical to any kind of G-MAC Tournament run the Chargers make.
• Freshman Grace Drake has been part of Hillsdale's setter rotation for much of the season and has seen her role grow as she's steadily improved in recent weeks. She was instrumental in Hillsdale's five set victory over Northwood at home on Oct. 24, with a 16-kill, 29-assist, 14-dig triple-double, and also posted a triple-double in this past weekend's upset win over Findlay. Drake's versatility, allowing her to seamlessly transition from a setter on one point to an outside hitter the next, creates serious problems for opposing defenses and is a chess piece for Coach Chris Gravel to make good use of going forward.
• Senior Adi Sysum has been an important weapon up front for the Chargers so far and earned two G-MAC North Division Player of the Week honors this season, including a 16 kill, 7 block performance in a five-set victory over Walsh in the two teams' first meeting. A middle hitter, Sysum has been efficient on offense, hitting .378 to rank second in the G-MAC, with a team-best 2.45 kills per set, and has been a key player defensively, with 0.84 blocks per set, the ninth best mark in conference play and second 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 1 block per set and leading the Chargers in that stat. She also had an excellent week offensively in Hillsdale's three match roadstand from Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, finishing with 27 kills (3 per set) while hitting .531, along with five aces and 11 total blocks.
• Hillsdale has played well defensively at times this season. The Chargers rank fourth in the G-MAC in digs per set (16.03), second in service aces allowed (1.28) and second in blocks per set (2.15), all strong numbers in the conference. Hillsdale will aim for more stingy defensive play as it looks to extend its season as long as it can and bring home a G-MAC Tournament crown.
• 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 and current Detroit Lion Isaac TeSlaa.