Schedule
Ursuline (2-21, 0-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (10-11, 5-4 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, Michigan
Lake Erie (8-12, 5-5 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (10-11, 5-4 G-MAC) | 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, Michigan

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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ursuline Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Ursuline Stats | Lake Erie Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (7th G-MAC in B/S, 5th in hitting %); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (3rd G-MAC in D/S); #9 Taylor Brownsword, Fr., OH/DS, Massillon, OH/Jackson (6th G-MAC in K/S, 9th in P/S); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (1st G-MAC in A/S)

Ursuline: #4 Vada Belt, Sr., S, Eastlake, OH/North (1st TM in A/S); #5 Madison Morris, So., MB, Dayton, OH/Archbishop Carroll (1st TM in B/S); #6 Mya Jackson, Sr., DS, Pataskala, OH/Watkins Memorial (5th G-MAC in D/S, 10th in SA/S); #20 Ellie Zoeckler, So., OH, Sagamore Hills, OH/Cuyahoga Valley Christian (10th G-MAC in K/S, 3rd in SA/S, 7th in P/S)

Lake Erie: #2 Bella Kessler, Sr., DS/L, Centreville, MI/Centreville/Oakland U. (8th G-MAC in D/S); #6 Kylie Anderson, So., S, Kalamazoo, MI/Mattawan (3rd G-MAC in A/S); #24 Ni'yah Fuggs, Sr., PH, Richmond Heights, OH/Villa Angela-St. Joseph (6th G-MAC in B/S); #26 Allison Kirch, Jr., PH, Cincinnati, OH/Seton (3rd G-MAC in K/S, 2nd in SA/S, 2nd in P/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
Ursuline: It's been a challenging season for the Arrows so far, as Ursuline enters the weekend at 2-21 overall and 0-10 in G-MAC play. The Arrows are hoping to build momentum for a strong finish with just seven matches left in the regular season.

The Arrows are overall a young squad, with just three juniors and seniors combined. That youth has shown significant promise at times, as sophomore Ellie Zoeckler has developed into one of the G-MAC's top servers and a plus attacker for Urusline. Freshmen Kimora Hansbrough and Skye Peairson are making important contributions offensively as well, while Madison Morris and Frida Martinez rotate in the middle as well.

Ursuline has experience at two critical positions, with senior Vada Belt sharing setting duties in a 6-2 system with sophomore Sophia Serrano, and senior Mya Jackson wrapping up a lengthy career in Pepper Pike as the team's libero. Freshman Alivia Martin also helps out in the back row.

Coach Rachael Tolbert is in her third season leading the program, A storied player at Wheeling University, Tolbert came from the high school ranks to take the job at Ursuline.

Lake Erie: Under the guidance of new head coach Hannah Zuchowski, the Storm are off to their best start in years, and at 8-12 overall, 5-5 in G-MAC play, look ready to contend for the program's first postseason berth since 2018.

Sophomore Allison Kirch has broken out in a big way for Lake Erie and given the Storm a high-powered attacker to build around. Sadie Nawrocki and Nora Larson are also key players up front for the Storm on the attack, as is senior Ni'yah Fuggs.

Oakland transfer Bella Kessler has stepped in at libero and given the Storm a steady and reliable player at a position that has been a problem spot over the years. Veteran Cecelia Mullen provides a helping hand in the back row.

At setter, Kylie Anderson is another sophomore who's taken a big step forward in her second season and is among G-MAC leaders in assists per set.

Zuchowski came to Lake Erie from Ashland, where she was a successful assistant for several seasons and was interim head coach of the Eagles for a time.

 
Scouting the Chargers
With the Midwest Regional Crossover in the rearview, Hillsdale now turns its focus to the stretch run of conference play. With just six league matches remaining, the Chargers will look to solidify their spot in the G-MAC Tourney and bid for the opportunity to host a home quarterfinal match, starting with key matches against Ursuline and

Hillsdale has made use of a variety of players offensively so far as it looks for consistent play. Most recently two big weekends from freshman Taylor Brownsword and sophomore Taylor Cook has the Chargers optimistic they are starting to find the right attacking mix up front. Ellie Fles and Caroline Lanicek have also stood out for Hillsdale at times this season, and 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 4.78 digs per set so far. Last weekend, she became just the thirteenth player in program history to surpass 1,000 digs for her career. She has been well supported by fellow backrow 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

• 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.
• A veteran player for the Chargers, Chloe Pierce chose to put off graduation and return for a fifth year for Hillsdale in 2026. That decision has paid off, most recently when Pierce became just the 13^th player in program history to surpass 1,000 digs for her career at the Midwest Regional Crossover this past weekend. 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 4.78 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.
• Freshman Taylor Brownsword has seen her attacking role with the Chargers grow in recent weeks, with seven or more kills in Hillsdale's last seven matches after posting just three in the first 13. She's led the Chargers in kills in each of her team's last four matches, including becoming the first Hillsdale player since All-American Paige VanderWall in 2018 to produce back-to-back 20 kill matches. Hillsdale will continue looking for her to play a major role offensively with three weeks left in the regular season.
• 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 deep 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.
• 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 nine of the Chargers' last 14 matches, including 25 in two matches heading into the crossover at GVSU and Northwood. In the crossover, Cook produced a collegiate-best 18 kill match in a five-set win over Drury and tied for the team lead with 17 kills against Maryville in two strong outings. 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 656 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 never lost to either of its opponents this weekend. The Chargers are a perfect 15-0 against Ursuline since 2015, with 14 straight sweeps of the Arrows, and are 25-0 all-time against Lake Erie dating back to 2008, with just seven sets lost to the Storm in that span.