Schedule
Hillsdale (2-6, 0-2 G-MAC) at Northwood (3-4, 0-2 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 26 | Bennett Sports Center | Midland, MI
 
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Live Stats & Video
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Northwood Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Northwood Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #2 Jenna Southland, So., MH, Three Rivers, MI/Three Rivers (1st Tm in K/S); #4 Madison Peal, Fr., DS/L, Grand Rapids, MI/Christian (5th G-MAC in D/S); #9 Adi Sysum, Sr., MH, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (4th G-MAC in hitting %, 9^th in B/S); #15 Josie TeSlaa, Sr., S/DS, Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian (5th G-MAC in A/S)

Northwood: #6 Laney Kokaly, Jr., DS, Essexville, MI/Garber (2nd G-MAC in D/S); #7 Renee Brines, Sr., S, Cadillac, MI/Cadillac (6th G-MAC in A/S); #12 Sage Kissman, Sr., OH, Mason, MI/Mason/Ashland (4th G-MAC in K/S, P/S); #16 Soleil Allen, So., MB, Whitby, Ontario/Wilson (6th G-MAC in B/S)
 
Scouting the Opposition
Northwood: Two teams in similar situations meet on Friday night as Hillsdale and Northwood, the top two regular season teams in the G-MAC in 2024, battle to try and avoid an 0-3 start in conference play in 2025.  

Like Hillsdale, Northwood was hit hard by roster attrition in the offseason, losing three of their top four hitters including the 2024 G-MAC Player of the Year. The lone returner, senior Sage Kissman, has been one of the top offensive players in the G-MAC so far, but Northwood has struggled to consistently support her with secondary attackers at the net. Junior Olivia Nester and sophomore Clara Gyomory are the other contributors on the outside, while in the middle, Mackenzie Scheid returns and sophomore Soleil Allen has emerged as a major contributor defensively.

In the backrow, junior Laney Kokaly stepped in at libero and has performed admirably for the Timberwolves, while freshman Ava Thomas also has contributed in her first season. Fourth-year starter Renee Brines is one of the G-MAC's top setters and continues to be a key leader for Northwood, though it's tougher sledding this season with the reduction in firepower up front so far.

While Northwood has been a consistent contender in the G-MAC, the Timberwolves have struggled against the Chargers over the last decade and are looking to snap a 12-match losing streak to Hillsdale that dates to 2013 this Friday.
 
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale suffered back-to-back losses in G-MAC play this past weekend for the first time since its first week in the conference in 2017. While it's a tough start, that 2017 season shows it's not hopeless yet, as the Chargers bounced back from those two defeats to win both the regular season and tournament titles.

To pull off a similar turnaround, a young Hillsdale squad will have to grow up fast and make rapid improvements over the next few weeks. It's a daunting task, but the Chargers have shown there's talent available, and flashes of being a much better team than their record indicates if they can be more consistent.

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.

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 . 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 is now part of the libero rotation for the Chargers along with freshman Madison Peal, who's gotten significant early playing time for the Chargers along with fellow freshman and outside hitter Taylor Cook.

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.
• Friday's volleyball match is the first opportunity for Hillsdale and Northwood to earn points in the competition to claim "The Jack" for the 2025-26 school year. The Jack is an all-sports trophy contested by the Chargers and Timberwolves on an annual basis where each team gets a point for winning a head-to-head matchup or for finishing higher in the conference championship in sports without head-to-head matchups. The trophy is named in honor of two legendary athletic directors – Hillsdale's Jack McAvoy and Northwood's Jack Finn. The Chargers currently possess the trophy after outcompeting Northwood in the 2024-25 school year and are looking to hang on to it for 2025-26.
• 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 second in the G-MAC in team digs per set with 16.56, and third in opponent service aces with 1.50 per set. Freshman Madison Peal ranks in the top 10 individually in the G-MAC in digs per set, currently fifth with 3.97 digs per set, and she had had 33 digs, seven off the program single-match record, in Hillsdale's four-set loss to Augusta on Friday, Sept. 5 Fellow freshman Ella Byrum sits just outside the top 10 in the conference, ranked 12^th with 3.46 digs per set. The Chargers will aim to convert their defensive performances into wins in conference play starting this weekend.
• Senior Adi Sysum has been an important weapon upfront for the Chargers so far. A middle hitter, Sysum has been efficient on offense, hitting .353, the fourth-best mark in G-MAC play, and has been a key player defensively, with 0.91 blocks per set and 10 solo blocks, the second-most of any player in the G-MAC so far.
• 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.