Schedule
Ohio Dominican (4-3, 0-0 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (2-4, 0-0 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 19 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Cedarville (5-2, 0-0 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (2-4, 0-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 20 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | ODU Roster | Cedarville Roster | Hillsdale Stats | ODU Stats | Cedarville Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #2 Jenna Southland, So., MH, Three Rivers, MI/Three Rivers (7th G-MAC in B/S); #4 Madison Peal, Fr., DS/L, Grand Rapids, MI/Christian (2nd G-MAC in D/S); #9 Adi Sysum, Sr., MH, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (5th G-MAC in hitting %); #15 Josie TeSlaa, Sr., S/DS, Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian (6th G-MAC in A/S)

Ohio Dominican: #1 Christen Tarter, So., L, Independence, KY/Dixie Heights (9th G-MAC in D/S); #5 Jenna Peters, Sr., OH, Vermilion, OH/Vermilion (6th G-MAC in K/S, 7th in P/S); #10 Saige Avery, Sr., S/RS, Yorkville, IL/Yorkville (10th G-MAC in A/S); #21 Logan Rubel, Fr., OH, Cottleville, MO/Francis Howell (2nd Tm in K/S)

Cedarville: #3 Kaley Matney, Sr., S, Fort Wayne, IN/Carroll (2nd G-MAC in A/S, SA/S); #4 Janae Heegaard, Sr., MH, Sycamore, IL/Homeschool (2nd G-MAC in B/S); #12 Madelyn Hensley, Jr., OH, Dover, DE/Homeschool (1st G-MAC in P/S, SA/S, 3rd in K/S); #18 Alivia Rutt, So., L, Elizabethtown, PA/Mount Cavalry Christian (6th G-MAC in D/S)
 
Scouting the Opposition

ODU: A repeat G-MAC Tournament finalist in the last two seasons, the Panthers are looking to translate that tourney success into a regular season title push in 2025.

ODU is off to a 4-3 start with a quality win over in-region foe Maryville in the first two weeks and have an experienced lineup that should be a real test for the Chargers.

The Panthers run their offense through veteran and decorated players Jenna Peters and Ashley Aselage, both multi-year starters, and return another major attacking talent in Ashley Chmielewski. ODU has added another weapon to the attack in freshman Logan Rubel, who's off to a strong start as well. The Panthers also return all their top middle hitters from 2024 in Grace Zinchuk, Bailey Christiansen and Ava Horn, and all their setters in their 6-2 system, with co-starters Saige Avery and Gabrielle Kirker both playing a major role again this year.

Christen Tarter and Lauren Dinunzi also return in the back row for ODU, giving the team a veteran defensive lineup.

ODU has pushed Hillsdale at times in the last decade but are looking for its first win over the Chargers since 2014 and enter tonight's match on a 13-game losing streak to Hillsdale.

Cedarville: Four years ago, Cedarville turned the keys of the program over to a large and talented freshman class.

In 2025, the Yellow Jackets are hoping that class, now seniors, lead Cedarville to a G-MAC crown and the program's first NCAA Tourney appearance since 2016.

The core of the 5-2 Yellow Jackets is an elite offense that currently leads the G-MAC in hitting percentage and ranks second in kills per set. Junior Madelyn Hensley, a G-MAC Player of the Year candidate, leads the way but she's well-supported by the emergence of sophomore Allie Pilat and that senior class, led by Cassi Shields and Cam Davenport.

Cedarville also is intimidating in the middle with veterans Janae Heegaard and Haley Koch both among the G-MAC leaders in blocks per set in their final campaign.

Setter Kaley Matney, now in her fourth season as a starter, directs the potent attack, and sophomore Alivia Rutt returns for a second season as the team's libero.

Cedarville will look to prove it can unseat Hillsdale and challenge preseason favorite Findlay for the G-MAC crown. The Yellow Jackets are 2-14 all-time against Hillsdale, but have been competitive recently, pushing the Chargers to five sets last season and winning over Hillsdale in 2022.
 
Scouting the Chargers
It's been a challenging start for a young Hillsdale squad that lost nine players from a 22-5 team in 2024. The Chargers went a combined 2-4 in the first two weekends of the season with a young and inexperienced squad going toe to toe with NCAA Tournament-caliber opponents.

Entering G-MAC play this weekend, Hillsdale hopes the lessons learned from those difficult first two weeks pay off as the Chargers look to get off to a fast start against conference foes and defend the team's 2024 regular season title.

While the Chargers are young, Hillsdale does return three key contributors who played major roles in 2024: 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 was 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 633 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 has been active in the Chargers' two opening tournaments, as Hillsdale currently ranks third in the G-MAC in team digs per set with 17.08, and second in opponent service aces with 1.50 per set. Freshmen Madison Peal and Ella Byrum each rank in the top 10 individually in the G-MAC in digs per set. Peal, currently second with 4.59 digs per set, had 33 digs, seven off the program single-match record, in Hillsdale's four-set loss to Augusta on Friday, Sept. 5, and Byrum, ranked 10^th with 3.50 digs per set, finished with 29 digs in Hillsdale's five-set loss to Florida Southern on Saturday, Sept. 6. The Chargers will aim to convert their defensive performances into wins in conference play starting this weekend.
• With a largely new cast up front for Hillsdale in 2025, so far, sophomore Jenna Southland has been the one to answer the bell the most. Southland currently leads the Chargers in kills per set with 2.71 and has four double-digit kill matches in Hillsdale's first six. She's also been a force at the net defensively, with a team-high 23 blocks, and she ranks in the top 10 in the G-MAC in blocks per set.
• 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 strong records against both of this weekend's opponents, going 19-1 against Ohio Dominican since their first meeting in 2010, and putting up a 14-2 record against Cedarville since first playing the Yellow Jackets in 2013. While the records are one-sided, recent wins against the Panthers and Yellow Jackets haven't come easily – ODU pushed Hillsdale to five sets in the 2023 G-MAC Tournament Championship match, and Cedarville took the Chargers to five sets in their matchup in 2024 and won a five-set match over Hillsdale as recently as 2022.