The Hillsdale College women's tennis team has a strong tradition of finishing in the top half of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference standings, but even by that standard the 2024-25 campaign was a big step forward for the program.

With former head coach Nikki Walbright back in charge of the program on an interim basis, Hillsdale took a massive step forward with a third place finish in the G-MAC regular season standings, and a 14-9 record that were both the team's best marks since the 2018-19 season.

The Chargers made their run despite a relatively young roster that prominently featured a sophomore and two freshmen, outperforming preseason expectations for the squad.

Hillsdale first served notice that it was in for a strong year at the ITA Midwest Regional in September of 2024, where all of its seven players earned at least one win in the event that included every top player in the Midwest region. Sophomore Ane Dannhauser made an impressive run in the top singles bracket, reaching the Round of 16 and only falling to the top-ranked player in the draw, Rockhurst's Eleanor Coleman, in a tight three-set thriller. Senior Libby McGivern made a quarterfinal run with three straight victories in the B singles draw as well, and the pair also teamed up to make the quarterfinals of the A doubles bracket as well.

As focus turned to team play in the spring season, Hillsdale got off to a strong start, winning three of their first four matches. Dannhauser continued to excel at No. 1 singles for the Chargers and formed a devastating doubles duo with freshman Briana Rees that ranked in the top 20 in the nation at the NCAA DII level for much of the season and beat several ranked teams, including a top-10 ranked squad from eventual NCAA DII team runner-up Nova Southeastern in a dominant 6-3 performance.

Both Rees and fellow freshman Julia Zlateva made huge impacts on the squad as lineup regulars from the moment they got on campus, while seniors McGivern and Courtney Rittel provided steady play and juniors Isabella Spinazze and Megan Hackman played important roles as well. 

The Chargers opened G-MAC play on a four match winning streak, and picked up two huge wins with a 4-1 dispatching of Walsh and a 4-2 victory over Northwood, both at home, to secure a third place finish in the regular season. Hillsdale opened the G-MAC Tourney with a 4-0 win over Thomas More before falling to Tiffin in the semifinals. The Chargers finished ninth in the final NCAA DII Midwest Region rankings, just outside of earning their first berth to the NCAA Tournament since 2021.

Two players earned All-Conference recognition for Hillsdale, as Ane Dannhauser received her second-straight first team All-G-MAC honor, and Rees was recognized for her strong play as a freshman with second team honors.

The future is bright for the Chargers program, with a strong nucleus returning headlined by Dannhauser, Rees and Zlateva, all of whom should continue to improve with more experience. Spinazze and Hackman are valuable veteran contributors as well, and Hillsdale has a solid freshman class arriving to add depth. 

The program will be in new hands for the 2025-26 season, as Walbright hands the reins over to assistant coach and former Hillsdale tennis star Melanie Zampardo. A three-time All-G-MAC player for the Chargers, Zampardo knows Hillsdale and the G-MAC well and steps into a solid situation to work with heading into the next campaign.