Schedule
Hillsdale (9-9, 5-4 G-MAC) vs Drury (14-4, 5-2 GLVC) | 11:30 a.m. CT Friday, Oct. 16 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, Indiana
Hillsdale (9-9, 5-4 G-MAC) vs #1 Ferris State (18-0, 10-0 GLIAC) | 4:30 p.m. CT Friday, Oct. 16 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, Indiana
Hillsdale (9-9, 5-4 G-MAC) vs TBD | TBD, Saturday, Oct. 17 | Hammond Sportsplex | Hammond, Indiana
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Drury Roster | Ferris Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Drury Stats | Ferris Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (6^th G-MAC in B/S, 4^th in hitting %); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (3^rd G-MAC in D/S); #9 Taylor Brownsword, Fr., OH, Massilon, OH/Jackson (7^th G-MAC in K/S); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (1^st G-MAC in A/S)

Drury: #1 Skylar Hilton, So., MB, Ozark, MO/Ozark (2^nd GLVC in B/S, 3^rd in hitting %, 1^st TM in K/S); #10 Chaney Barth, Sr., OH, Lenexa, KS/Baldwin/Francis Marion U. (2^nd TM in K/S); #12 Abby Renshaw, Jr., OH, North Little Rock, AR/Baptist Prep (3^rd TM in K/S); #22 Jacy Bray, So., S, Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic (4^th GLIAC in A/S)

Ferris St.: #3 Haley Wegener, Jr., S, Ravenna, MI/Coopersville (1^st GLIAC in A/S); #9 Lyndsey Urick, Jr., MH, Chicago, IL/Wiesbaden - Germany (2^nd GLIAC in hitting %, 10^th in B/S); #13 Hope Davies, So., L, Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Eastern (3^rd GLIAC in D/S); #22 Gabby Piazza, Jr., OH, Shorewood, IL/Joliet West (1^st GLIAC in K/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
Drury: The Panthers have been Midwest Regional contenders in the past but have built back up over the past three years after back-to-back losing seasons. After a 17-13 mark last year, Drury is off to a 14-4 start and looking like a threat to make their first NCAA Tournament since 2018.

Drury is led both offensively and defensively by standout middle hitter Skylar Hilton, who paces the team in both kills and blocks. She's supported on the outside by Chaney Barth and Abby Renshaw, with fellow middle Gracie Kimrey also playing a key role.

Hilton is one pillar for the Panthers and setter Jacy Bray is another, as the junior is among the tops in the GLVC in assists per set and also leads Drury in digs per set in an impressive feat. Kim Quinit and Amelia White also provide back-row support for the Panthers, who are 5-2 in the GLVC and have a signature win in a sweep of then-No. 4 Washburn in September.

Drury is coached by Kelly Richardson, in her first year leading the program. Richardson, an accomplished club coach in Missouri, also had experience as a head coach at NCAA DI Western Illinois from 2015 to 2018.

#1 Ferris State: There's no hotter team and no tougher test in the country right now than the Bulldogs, a perennial Midwest Region power who's off to a perfect 18-0 start, has only lost two sets this season, and won the prestigious Colorado Premier Invite with four straight sweeps in September.

Ferris has an imposing front row headlined by National Player of the Year contender Gabby Piazza, putting up an impressive 4.22 kills per set. She's got great support from decorated outside hitter Emily May and 6-foot-5 middle hitter Lyndsey Urick, both elite attackers in their own right. Ava Irvin, Haley Robinson and Lilly Peterson, all veteran players, contribute as well.

Setter Haley Wegener, in her second season as a starter, ranks in the top 10 nationally in assists per set, while Hope Davies is a strong player at libero as well for the Bulldogs.

Ferris is coached by legend Tia Brandel-Wilhelm, now in her 31^st season with the Bulldogs. She's guided Ferris to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and numerous regional championships in her tenure.

 
Scouting the Chargers
The Chargers enter this weekend's Midwest Regional Crossover in sixth place in the G-MAC with a 5-4 record. Although Hillsdale faces a tough draw, the Chargers are hoping to use a strong showing as a springboard for the back half of the G-MAC calendar and a run up the standings. Hillsdale will play two matches on Friday, with the results determining the time and opponent for their final match on Saturday.

Hillsdale has made use of a variety of players offensively so far as it looks for consistent play. Most recently a big weekend from freshman Taylor Brownsword has the Chargers hoping she can find a rhythm, while Taylor Cook, Ellie Fles and Caroline Lanicek have also stood out for Hillsdale at times this season. The Chargers also have gotten solid production out of the middle from senior Molly Kennedy and Ella Vandermark. In general, however, the Chargers are hoping to cut down on attack errors and show more stability from set to set as it looks to raise its offensive production.

In the back row, fifth-year Chloe Pierce was named to the all-tournament team of the Hampton Inn Invite as the team's libero earlier this season and is among the G-MAC leaders at her position, averaging 4.82 digs per set so far. She has been well supported by fellow back-row players Ella Byrum, returned from injury and serving well, junior Hannah Baker and sophomore Madison Peal.

Hillsdale had been running a 6-2 system the last two seasons, but with the graduation of Josie TeSlaa the Chargers turned setting duties over to sophomore Grace Drake, who's put up solid numbers so far while leading the Hillsdale offense. Hillsdale also has begun working talented 6-foot-2 freshman setter Ivy Rex into the mix as well.

Coaching the Chargers for the 31^st 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. Returning as assistant coaches for the season are Megan Molenkamp and Rick Langston, and the Chargers are also welcoming back former libero Sydney Barrett and former assistant Stephanie Gravel to the staff as well in 2026.

 
Other Notes

• This is the 18^th Midwest Region Crossover, and Hillsdale has played in every edition, dating back to 2008, with a 31-19 overall record in the event. The Chargers, usually one of the top seeds in the event, have gone undefeated five times – in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017. Thirteen different Hillsdale players have earned All-Crossover Team honors over the years, including 2022 graduate Lindsey Mertz three times (2017, 2018 and 2021), and 2012 graduate Clara Leutheuser twice (2010 and 2011). This is the lowest seed the Chargers have entered a Midwest Region Crossover since 2014, when Hillsdale was seeded eighth as a member of the GLIAC.
• Hillsdale College athletics will once again stream on FloCollege for the 2026-27 season as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference continues with 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.
• Freshman Taylor Brownsword has seen her attacking role with the Chargers grow in recent weeks, with seven or more kills in Hillsdale's last five matches after posting just three in the first 13. She was key with 16 kills in Hillsdale's five-set road upset of North Division leader Findlay on Oct. 2, and she posted a new career high with 20 kills in a sweep of Northwood this past Saturday. As Hillsdale looks for success against a tough slate of opponents at the crossover, Brownsword continuing to find her footing offensively will be key.
• Senior Molly Kennedy has bided her time behind All-G-MAC middle hitters throughout her career for the Chargers, but earned a spot in the starting lineup for the first time at the Warrior Invitational and had a coming out party, averaging an impressive 1.55 blocks per set. She remains among the G-MAC leaders in blocks per set six weeks into the season, and as a veteran presence on a team that lacks experienced middle hitters, Kennedy has been a key contributor for the Chargers this year.
• A veteran player for the Chargers, Chloe Pierce chose to put off graduation and return for a fifth year for Hillsdale in 2026. The starting libero for the Chargers, Pierce was named to the Hampton Inn Invite All-Tournament team early in the season, and ranks third in the G-MAC with a solid 4.82 digs per set, a major improvement on her numbers in 2025. A leader and captain for Hillsdale, Pierce will be leaned upon heavily throughout the 2026 campaign.
• After a quiet freshman season, sophomore Taylor Cook has been coming on strong on the outside for the Chargers. She's put together double-digit kills in seven of the Chargers' last 11 matches, including 25 in two matches this past weekend at GVSU and Northwood. On a team that's looking for a player to take the lead offensively, Cook could be developing into just that option.
• Hillsdale had another great academic year in 2025-26, posting a cumulative GPA above a 3.7 and ranking among the top Hillsdale College athletics teams in cumulative GPA. Two returning starters for Hillsdale played a big role in that accomplishment, as junior Caroline Lanicek and fifth-year Chloe Pierce each earned CSC Academic All-District honors for their performance in the classroom last season.
• Entering his 31^st season at Hillsdale, Chris Gravel has proved himself as one of the elite college volleyball coaches in the country. His 655 AVCA-recognized victories rank 10^th among all active coaches at the NCAA DII level, and his .685 winning percentage ranks 25^th, and 13^th among active coaches with 20 or more campaigns. He is one of just 11 active NCAA DII coaches with 600 or more wins in his career.
• Hillsdale has a 3-2 edge over Drury all-time, winning matches in 1998, 2008 and 2015, but the Panthers have taken the two most recent matches, both in 2018, including an NCAA Tournament contest that went four sets. The Chargers have consistently battled Ferris State in high-level volleyball matches over the years, with the Bulldogs holding a 28-11 edge since 1996. It's 4-3 in favor of Ferris since Hillsdale joined the G-MAC in 2017, and 2-2 in the last four meetings, with Hillsdale winning the 2021 Midwest Regional Final and a 2022 match, and Ferris taking victories over the Chargers in the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Tournaments.