Schedule
Hillsdale (1-2, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Wheeling (0-4, 0-0 MEC) | 10 a.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 12 | GVSU Fieldhouse Arena | Allendale, MI
Hillsdale (1-2, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Central Missouri (2-1, 0-0 MIAA) | 4 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 12 | GVSU Fieldhouse Arena | Allendale, MI
Hillsdale (1-2, 0-0 G-MAC) at #13 Grand Valley St. (3-1, 0-0 GLIAC) | 3 p.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 13 | GVSU Fieldhouse Arena | Allendale, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Wheeling Roster | Central Missouri Roster | GVSU Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Wheeling Stats | Central Missouri Stats | GVSU Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch:
Hillsdale:  #1 Ella Byrum, rFr., DS/L, Kokomo, IN/Northwestern (4^th G-MAC in D/S); #2 Jenna Southland, So., MH, Three Rivers, MI/Three Rivers (9^th G-MAC in P/S); #4 Madison Peal, Fr., DS/L, Grand Rapids, MI/Christian (2^nd G-MAC in D/S); #15 Josie TeSlaa, Sr., S/DS, Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian (7^th G-MAC in A/S)

Wheeling: #3 Faith Keifer, So., S/DS, Grand Rapids, OH/Otsego (1^st TM in A/S); #7 Cami Black, Jr., OH/DS, Senecaville, OH/Meadowbrook (8^th MEC in K/S, 7^th in P/S); #14 Megan Platt, Fr., DS/L, Lancaster, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg (8^th MEC in D/S); #21 Aleitha Wilson, Fr., MB, Macedonia, OH/Nordonia (1^st TM in B/S)

Central Missouri: #1 Grace Winkelmann, Sr., DS/L, Rhineland, MO/Hermann (4^th MIAA in D/S); #8 Kayla Baer, Sr., S, Wesley Chapel, FL/Wiregrass Ranch/Angelo St. (5^th MIAA in A/S); #12 Emma Siron, So., OH/RS, Sedalia, MO/Sacred Heart (10^th MIAA in P/S, SA/S); #19 Shaye Koski, Jr., OH, Parkville, MO/Park Hill/UT-Tyler (1^st TM in B/S)

GVSU: #8 Caroline Baker, So., S, Byron Center, MI/Byron Center (9^th GLIAC in A/S); #9 Meghan O'Sullivan, Sr., S, Sugar Grove, IL/Kaneland (10^th GLIAC in A/S, B/S); #11 McKenzie Johnson, Sr., L, Miamisburg, OH/Miamisburg (3^rd GLIAC in D/S); #12 Brianna Stawski, Jr., MB/RS, Muskegon, MI/Reeths-Puffer (2^nd GLIAC in B/S, 3^rd in hitting %, 8^th in P/S)
 
Scouting the Opposition
After a hard-fought weekend of action against tough competition in Florida, Hillsdale returns to Michigan for three more tough matches, including an early-season Midwest Region showdown.

The Chargers travel to Grand Valley State University, in Allendale this weekend for the Lakers' annual home invite. The event pits Hillsdale against a slate of traditional volleyball powerhouses, culminating in a showdown with the host Lakers on Saturday afternoon in an important regional match for both teams.

Hillsdale opens with Wheeling on Friday morning. A former NCAA DII national champion in 2015 and the Atlantic Region runner-up in 2024, the Cardinals got off to a tough 0-4 start to open the season down in Florida, but played two nationally-ranked programs and remain a formidable opponent for the Chargers.

Wheeling went 27-11 last year but was hit hard by graduation in the offseason, and is reloading heavily to start the 2025 campaign. Two key returners for the Cardinals are sophomore outside hitter Olivia Batch, the 2024 MEC Freshman of the Year, and Katie Wilking, an All-MEC middle blocker in 2024. With opportunities open in the lineup, junior Cami Black took on a big role offensively for the team in Florida, while sophomore Faith Keifer and freshman Lexi Duplessis have split the setting duties so far. Another freshman, Megan Platt, has taken over as the team's libero in a youth movement for the Cardinals, who battled Hillsdale in a preseason scrimmage and are familiar with the Chargers.

Hillsdale closes Friday with another test from a historically strong program in Central Missouri. A classic program with eight Central Region titles and a 1987 runner-up finish, the Jennies struggled in 2024 to the program's first losing season in 50 years but remain a tough squad that plays in the strongest region and one of the strongest conferences in NCAA DII volleyball.

Central Missouri was a young team in 2024 and returns two All-MIAA players in outside hitter Maya Ferguson and middle blocker Rachel Ziesman to build around. The Jennies have gotten a strong start offensively from sophomore Emma Siron, who leads the team in kills and service aces, as well as excellent libero play from Grace Winkelmann, now in her fourth season as a major contributor for Central Missouri. Senior Kayla Baer has stepped into the setter role full time for Central Missouri after sharing the job last season.

Hillsdale finishes the tournament on Saturday with a match against host Grand Valley State. Ranked 13^th in the nation, the Lakers were the No. 2 seed in last year's Midwest Regional and reached the regional semifinal round after a 27-3 regular season. GVSU is off to a 3-1 start with a five set loss to always-tough Colorado School of Mines the only blemish.

GVSU graduated a few key players off of last year's team, including All-American setter Jordyn Gates, but return All-GLIAC setter Meghan O'Sullivan and have paired Caroline Baker with her in the Lakers' 6-2 system to strong early results. McKenzie Johnson has stepped in as the team's libero with solid success early, and GVSU still has an imposing front row headlines by All-GLIAC honorees Brianna Stawski, Paige Sanders and Kendall Stover up front to form a team expected to contend for a GLIAC crown and a Midwest Regional championship in 2025.
 
Scouting the Chargers
The Hillsdale College volleyball team will look quite different this year.

But the high expectations will remain for the Chargers, as new faces step in and old faces step into new roles looking to keep a streak of seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances and eight straight seasons with a G-MAC Championship intact.

Nine players depart from a 2024 squad that went 22-5 and 14-1 in G-MAC play, including four of the Chargers' top five points scorers and team leaders in kills, aces, blocks, assists and digs.

Hillsdale does return three key contributors who played major roles last year in 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, senior Josie TeSlaa, who was one of the team's two setters in Hillsdale's 6-2 lineup and played in every match, and junior Chloe Pierce, who played an important role in the back row for the Chargers and will compete for the open libero position.

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 expecting big things from sophomores Ellie Fles, Caroline Lanicek and Jenna Southland, all of whom impressed in limited playing time in 2024 and will have a shot at substantially bigger roles this season. Juniors Marcelina Gorny and Molly Kennedy also have valuable experience up front and will be in contention for expanded playing time, as will sophomore Hannah Baker.

Two players who missed the 2024 season with injuries could be key X-Factors for Hillsdale in 2025. Junior Emory Braswell was second on the team in kills in 2023 before missing all of 2024, and with better health in 2025 could be the solution on the outside for the Chargers. 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 recovered will be in the mix to take over the libero position for Hillsdale.

With so many jobs up for grabs, there's a tremendous opportunity for a four-player freshman class to make a significant early impact. Grace Drake has an opportunity to step into the rotation as the team's second setter if Hillsdale sticks with a 6-2 system, while Madison Peal is a real talent in the back row and will compete with Pierce and Byrum for the libero spot. Outside hitters Taylor Cook and Maddie Krappmann are talented and decorated prep players who will push the returners and fight for a rotation spot as well.

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

• There will be a new streaming home for Hillsdale College athletics in the 2025 season as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference has agreed to a media rights deal with FloSports. All Hillsdale home and conference contests will stream with FloSports as a part of its FloCollege brand. FloSports is a subscription-based livestreaming service that hosts 40,000 contests and has deals with over 20 conferences in the NCAA. You can find out more information and sign up to watch the Chargers at this link.
• The Chargers enter the 2025 season as the most dominant team in the G-MAC since joining the conference in 2017. Hillsdale has won seven of the last eight G-MAC regular season and tournament titles and has never gone a season in the G-MAC without at least one trophy. The Chargers are 117-8 all-time in G-MAC regular season matches, and 21-1 in G-MAC Tournament matches. Hillsdale also wsd one of the top vote-getters in the 2025 G-MAC Preseason Coaches poll and tabbed to finish second in the North Division, with three first place votes.
• 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 632 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 was active in the Chargers' opening-weekend performance in Florida, as Hillsdale currently ranks first in the G-MAC in team digs per set with 17.43. Freshman Madison Peal had 33 digs, seven off the program single-match record, in Hillsdale's four-set loss to Augusta on Friday evening, and redshirt freshman Ella Byrum finished with 29 digs in Hillsdale's five-set loss to Florida Southern on Saturday. The Chargers will look to remain strong defensively with more tough opponents coming up this week.
• Junior Emory Braswell had a strong first match of the season on Friday, finishing with a 13 kill, 19 dig double-double in a five-set win over Anderson. Braswell was second on the team in kills in 2023 but missed the entire 2024 season with an injury. Now back and healthy, the Chargers are hoping for big things from the junior in 2025.
• 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.
• The Chargers have some history with all three opponents this weekend. Wheeling was Hillsdale's Elite Eight opponent during the Chargers' 2011 Final Four run, with Hillsdale taking a 3-0 win over the Cardinals, and Wheeling got revenge the following year in a 3-2 victory in an early-season tournament in 2012. The Chargers have played Central Missouri once, falling to the Jennies in a five-set match in 2019. GVSU is a frequent opponent for Hillsdale, with 16 matches between the two squads since 2009. The Chargers hold a 9-7 edge over the Lakers, with GVSU taking the most recent meeting in a five-set match at the 2022 Midwest Regional Crossover. The Chargers' most recent win over the Lakers came in the NCAA Tournament in 2021, as Hillsdale swept past GVSU in the opening round on the way to the Midwest Regional title.