Schedule
Hillsdale (4-3, 1-1 G-MAC) at Saginaw Valley St. (2-6, 1-1 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 20 | James E. O'Neill Arena | University Center, MI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats, Webcast, Ticket Links
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster |  SVSU Roster  | Hillsdale Stats | SVSU Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Magdalena Sularski, So., G, Lemont, IL/Benet Academy (4.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.3 apg); #5 Sarah Aleknavicius, So.,G/F, Grafton, WI/Grafton (7.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 1 bpg); #23 Annalise Pietrzyk, Jr., G, Lockport, IL/Providence Catholic (14.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.7 apg); #24 Ellie Bruce, So., C, Lancaster, OH/Fisher Catholic (11.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg); #40 Emma Ruhlman, Sr., G, Warren, PA/Warren (7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3 apg)
 
Saginaw Valley: #4 Megan McCalla, F, Jr., Chelsea, MI/Chelsea (14.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg);  #5 Kaitlyn Geurink, Fr., G/F, Hamilton, MI/Hamilton (10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg); #11 Lainey Yater, So., G, McDonald, PA/South Fayette (3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg); #20 Lydia Meredith, Sr., G, Portland, MI/St. Patrick's (10.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.9 apg, 3.7 spg); #33 Lauren Borsenik, So., C, Hemlock, MI/Concordia U. (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
 
Scouting the Opposition
SVSU: Long a quality team in the GLIAC, the Cardinals have gotten off to a rough start this season but have played a brutal schedule that includes multiple ranked teams and several conference title contenders.

SVSU is rebuilding after losing three starters off of last year's 15-win squad, with the current team built around three double-digit scorers who carry the team's offense. Returning starters Megan McCalla, a force in the post, and guard Lydia Meredith, a defensive savant who's taken on an increased offensive role with each season with the Cardinals, team with talented freshman wing Lydia Geurink to lead the way. Those three players account for two-thirds of SVSU's scoring so far this season.

Manning the center position is the tandem of Concordia-Ann Arbor transfer Lauren Borsenik and Texas A&M-Kingsville transfer Bella Paradowski, who split minutes at the five, while sophomore Lainey Yater runs the point for the Cardinals.

SVSU runs a short rotation, with veteran guard Emma Dziezgowski and Beckham Hockley getting the most run off the bench, and leans heavily on a solid defense captained by Meredith to make up for an offense that currently ranks dead last in the GLIAC.

The Cardinals have dominated the historical series with Hillsdale, holding a 43-20 record since the Chargers' first season in the GLIAC in 1981-82. SVSU has won four straight over Hillsdale, including a 52-47 victory last year, but the games have been competitive, with three of those four victories coming by 10 points or less.
 
Scouting Hillsdale
The 2024-25 season was a dream one for the Chargers, who won over 20 games, placed higher in the conference than in any season since 2008-09, and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018.

From the outside, there's reason to expect the 2025-26 campaign to be a step back for Hillsdale. The Chargers graduated three senior starters, two All-G-MAC players and three of their top four scorers from last season's breakthrough team, and real question marks exist about whether Hillsdale can replace all that production.
 
That said, there's plenty of reasons for optimism for the Chargers as well. In spite of all the graduation losses, Hillsdale still has plenty of exciting talent to build around, and it's not too hard to see a path for the Chargers to be a contender in the G-MAC again in 2025-26 if everything pans out.

While Hillsdale's veteran guards were the focal point for Hillsdale in 2024-25, the 2025-26 edition of the Chargers is centered in the post. The top returning scorer for Hillsdale is junior Savannah Smith, a talented and athletic post who was coming into her own as a force down low before a February injury cut her season short. That injury hurt the Chargers last season, but could have a silver lining in 2025-26 as it gave then-freshman Ellie Bruce a significant amount of high-leverage action. The 6-foot-2 Bruce grew tremendously as a player in the final month of the season after being thrust into a central role, and between her and Smith, Hillsdale should have one of the best 1-2 punches in the paint in the G-MAC this season.

On the wing, Hillsdale has filled its empty spots admirably with strong performers. One of Hillsdale's top players off the bench the past two seasons, junior Annalise Pietrzyk has starred in a larger role this fall, leading the Chargers in scoring and the G-MAC in 3-point field goal percentage by a full percentage point over the field. Pietrzyk is well supported by veteran stalwart Emma Ruhlman, a gritty player and also a dangerous sniper from long range, athletic and versatile two-way threat Sarah Aleknavicius, who is also blooming in a larger role this season, and talented veteran Sydney Pnacek, who's carved out a nice role off the bench for the Chargers.

At point guard, sophomore Magdalena Sularksi has stepped into the role and is developing nicely for Hillsdale at an early juncture, while freshman Maddie Smith has proved herself a dependable player to take the reins when Sularski sits. Magdalena's twin sister, Emilia Sularski, also is in the guard rotation and is a dangerous shooter herself.
 
Hillsdale is coached by Brianna Brennan, who is in her third year at the helm and was named the BCAM College Coach of the Year for the state of Michigan after guiding the Chargers to the tournament. Abbey McNeil returns for her third season as associate head coach, and alumnus Sophia Pierce is back in Hillsdale for her first season as an assistant coach to round out the staff.
 
 
Other Notes

• The Chargers were picked to finish fifth in the 2025-26 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll after earning runner-up honors in the conference race in 2024-25 and reaching the G-MAC Tournament championship game. Defending champion Ashland was picked to repeat as conference title-winner, while Malone was selected to finish second and Northwood was picked to take third. Findlay was picked to finish fourth, beating out Hillsdale by five points in a tight race.
• Annalise Pietrzyk kicked off the 2025-26 season with a weekend to remember, shooting 69.2% from deep and leading the Chargers in scoring and assists in a pair of wins to earn G-MAC Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career. She's stayed hot from deep since then, shooting a G-MAC-leading 48.8% from deep to lead Hillsdale in points per game (14.4) and rank eighth in the conference. Nationally, Pietrzyk ranks in the top 20 in 3-pointers per game and eighth in 3-point percentage. As a focal point for Hillsdale's offense and a leader, Pietrzyk should be a major factor in the Chargers' 2025-26 plans.
• Hillsdale has one of the top post tandems in the G-MAC in junior Savannah Smith and sophomore Ellie Bruce. The 6-foot-2 Bruce has been an efficient interior player for the Chargers, averaging 11.4 points per game on 51.4% shooting from the floor and a much-improved 75% from the free throw line, while also ranking fifth in the G-MAC with 1.4 blocks per game. When Bruce hits the bench, opponents have gotten no relief, as Smith has been extremely effective off the pine with 10.7 points per game in 18 minutes of action a contest. The pair are creating a real headache for opponents so far this season.
• One of the keys for Hillsdale to be successful in 2025-26 is a big step forward from sophomore Sarah Aleknavicius, and early returns are positive, as the second-year player is averaging 7.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, major improvements on her freshman numbers. One of Hillsdale's best defenders since arriving on campus as a freshman last season, Aleknavicius ranks second in the G-MAC in both assists per game and assist to turnover ratio. Her emergence as an offensive threat bodes well for the Chargers this season.
• The Chargers' efficient offense has been a standout facet of the 2025-26 campaign so far. Hillsdale is shooting 37.9% from 3-point range as a team, topping the G-MAC and ranking ninth nationally. Part of the reason the Chargers are shooting so well is they're doing a great job of sharing the basketball, with a G-MAC-leading and top 10 in the nation 18 assists per game and a G-MAC-leading assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.05, which ranks in the top 30 in NCAA DII. The Chargers are also second in the G-MAC and rank 24^th in the nation with 4.7 blocks per game, and are among the G-MAC's top defenses, ranking third in opponent field goal percentage (37%).