Schedule
Walsh (19-6, 11-1 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (10-10, 8-3 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 7 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Malone (6-16, 5-6 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (10-10, 8-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 8 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Walsh Roster | Ashland Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Walsh Stats | Ashland 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); #9 Adi Sysum, Sr., MH, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (2nd G-MAC in hitting %, 8th in B/S); #15 Josie TeSlaa, Sr., S/DS, Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian (7th G-MAC in A/S); #16 Caroline Lanicek, So., MH, Tiffin, OH/Calvert (10th G-MAC in hitting %)

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 (4th G-MAC in D/S); #13 Sammie DiBease, Sr., OH, Perry, OH/Perry (9th G-MAC in K/S, 7th in P/S)

Malone: #1 Helaina Edgar, So., S, Rock Creek, OH/Jefferson Area (10th G-MAC in A/S); #13 Jaymes Gilbert, Jr., MH, Wooster, OH/Triway (1st TM in K/S, B/S); #16 Brianne Salinas, Jr., MH, St. John, IN/Lake Central (2nd TM in K/S); #19 Madalyn Coblentz, Fr., DS, Orrville, OH/Dalton (1st TM in D/S)
 
Scouting the Opposition
Walsh: The Cavaliers are closing in on their second 20-plus win campaign in three seasons under Brett Holt and are looking to take the next step and earn the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

Walsh's top asset this 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.

Walsh is tied for the best record in the G-MAC currently but has benefited from playing in the weakest of the three divisions. The final two weeks of the regular season, with cross-division matchups against some of the conference's top teams, are a chance for the Cavaliers to prove themselves.

The Cavaliers have struggled against Hillsdale, with a 1-17 record all time, and will be looking for their first-ever win on the road against the Chargers. this Friday.

Malone: The most successful volleyball team at Malone in at least four seasons, the Pioneers are on the cusp of their first G-MAC Tourney bid since 2019 but will need a strong finish in order to reach the postseason.

Malone has used a balanced attack with no real standout in the front row, but strong contributions from Jaymes Gilbert, Brianne Salias and Hailey Conrad, among others. Malone''s balance up front has made them tough to defend at times and elevated the team as a whole. Setting is split between sophomore Helaina Edgar and freshman Mikayla Yockey, with Edgar coming on strong and playing as the lone setter more often in recent weeks.

Freshman Madalyn Coblentz and junior Jaclyn Jundzilo are the top back row players for the Pioneers, who have been a scrappy bunch who have found a way to grit out victories so far this season.

Malone is still looking for its first-ever victory over the Chargers, having lost all 18 matches against Hillsdale since first matching up with the Chargers in 2012. While the Pioneers have never beaten Hillsdale, they've been a tough out at times, winning at least one set in 10 of the 18 matches, including last season's meeting in Canton, Ohio.
 
Scouting the Chargers
A strong road weekend that saw Hillsdale pick up three victories not only got the Chargers back to .500 on the season but locked up a G-MAC Tourney berth for Hillsdale, and opened up the possibility of sneaking into a top four spot in the standings and earning a home quarterfinal game.
In order to get that home tourney contest, the Chargers will have to defend Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena this weekend, starting with a critical showdown against G-MAC title contender Walsh on Friday.

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

• The Chargers are celebrating four seniors on Saturday, the final home match of the 2025 regular season. Emory Braswell, Chloe Pierce, Adi Sysum and Josie TeSlaa have played a part in three G-MAC championship seasons and have been on three NCAA Tournament qualifying teams, including a regional semifinalist in 2022. All four have been excellent students and are all on track to graduate with honors from Hillsdale this spring.
• 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 641 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.
• 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. 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.
• The healthy return of sophomore outside hitter Ellie Fles has been huge for the Chargers offensively. Fles came up big in Hillsdale's sweep of previous G-MAC unbeaten Thomas More on Oct. 4, 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 on Oct. 11. Her 2.49 kills per set currently leads the Chargers. 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 .375 to rank second in the G-MAC, with 2.41 kills per set, and has been a key player defensively, with 0.81 blocks per set, the eighth 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 0.97 blocks per set and leading the Chargers in that stat. She also had an excellent week offensively in Hillsdale's three match roadstand, 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 third in the G-MAC in digs per set (16.21), second in service aces allowed (1.30) and second in blocks per set (2.03), all strong numbers in the conference. Hillsdale will aim for more stingy defensive play as it looks for a strong stretch run to improve its seeding in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament in November.
• 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.