Schedule
Hillsdale (8-8, 4-4 G-MAC) at #17 Grand Valley State (13-3, 7-1 GLIAC) | 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 | Fieldhouse Arena | Allendale, Michigan
Hillsdale (8-8, 4-4 G-MAC) at Northwood (4-12, 2-6 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 | Bennett Sports Center | Midland, Michigan
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | GVSU Roster | Northwood Roster | Hillsdale Stats | GVSU Stats | Northwood Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (5th G-MAC in B/S, 2^nd in hitting %); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (3rd G-MAC in D/S); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (1st G-MAC in A/S); #20 Ellie Fles, Jr., OH, Grand Rapids, MI/South Christian (1^st TM in K/S)

GVSU: #4 Lexi Armstrong, So., L, Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville (2^nd GLIAC in D/S); #17 Finley Arp, Fr., OH, Grand Rapids, MI/South Christian (9th GLIAC in K/S, 8^th in P/S, 4^th in SA/S); #18 Kennedy Arp, Sr., MH, Byron Center, MI/Valparaiso U. (5^th GLIAC in B/S, 7^th in hitting %); #19 Gabby Orlet, So., S, Belleville, IL/Althoff Catholic (4^th GLIAC in A/S)

Northwood: #6 Laney Kokaly, Sr., DS, Essexville, MI/Garber (8^th G-MAC in D/S); #9 Avery Dubey, Jr., S, Alpena, MI/Alpena (9^th G-MAC in A/S); #15 Kennedy Hinkle, Fr., OH, Livonia, MI/Stevenson (1^st TM in K/S); #18 Mackenzie Scheid, Jr., MB, Coldwater, MI/Coldwater (10^th G-MAC in B/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
#17 GVSU: A recent loss to rival Ferris dented the Lakers' hopes of a GLIAC title, but doesn't change the fact that GVSU is one of the top teams in the Midwest Region and on the short list of contenders to advance to the Elite Eight in November.

GVSU has a top-notch offensive attack that boasts five players with 40 or more sets played and 2.40 kills per set, headlined by stellar freshman Finley Arp. Grace Busold also contributes on the outside but the Lakers run a significant chunk of their offense through their middle hitters, with Kennedy Arp, Paige Sanders and Brianna Stawski all putting up big numbers for GVSU.

At setter, Gabby Orlet has taken the job full-time after sharing it last year, and is putting up a solid 9.81 assists per set to direct the offense for the Lakers. Sophomore Lexi Armstrong is one of the top liberos in the GLIAC so far this season and taking on a bigger role in her second campaign.

Coach Jason Johnson, now in his sixth campaign, has helped bring GVSU back to a powerhouse in the Midwest Region after a lull in the late 2010s. He's led the Lakers to three NCAA Tournaments, and is looking to break through in 2026 after reaching the round of 32 in 2023 and 2024.
 
Northwood: Northwood is looking to get back on track in the G-MAC after a shaky start to the season. To make the G-MAC tournament, the Timberwolves must make up ground after opening 2-6 in league play.

It's been offense by committee for Northwood in seven matches so far, with veterans Olivia Nester, Dani Pohl and freshman Kennedy Hinkle on the outside, and Mackenzie Scheid in the middle all putting up similar offensive numbers. Senior Madeline Heil and junior Soleil Allen also contribute to a versatile offensive attack.

At setter, with stalwart Renee Brines no longer in uniform after graduating, the T'wolves have turned to multiple players to fill the void, running a 6-2 with junior Avery Dubey and sophomore Kyden Ehle sharing responsibilities for leading the offense. Returning All-G-MAC libero Laney Kokaly provides solid play in the back-row as well for Northwood, with support from sophomore Ava Thomas.

Veteran coach David Shumaker has led the T'wolves for over a decade, and has made Northwood a consistent contender in the G-MAC during his time in charge.

 
Scouting the Chargers
The Chargers got a huge conference victory on the road last Friday night, upsetting G-MAC North Division leader Findlay, but still have work to do to get back in the conference race after a split weekend. With two matches before the Midwest Region Crossover on Oct. 16-17, including a conference rivalry match with Northwood, Hillsdale aims to establish itself in a good position for that event this weekend.

Hillsdale has made use of a variety of players offensively so far as it looks for consistent play, with juniors Ellie Fles and Caroline Lanicek, sophomore Taylor Cook and freshman Taylor Brownsword all contributing 2.5 or better kills per set. 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 4.80 digs per set so far. 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.
• Saturday's contest is another chance for the Chargers and Timberwolves to score a point towards winning "The Jack" Traveling Trophy between Hillsdale and Northwood. Named after legendary ADs Jack McAvoy of Hillsdale and Jack Finn of Northwood, the trophy is awarded yearly to the institution that wins the most head-to-head matchups in athletic contests in a given school year. Hillsdale retained the trophy by a narrow margin in 2025-26 and will be looking to claim it for the third straight year in 2026-27, with volleyball playing an important part. So far this season, each team has one point.
• Hillsdale entered the G-MAC schedule in 2026 as the favorite to win the North Division, edging out defending division champion Findlay by a single first place vote in the preseason poll. Currently the Chargers are second in the division at 4-4, behind Findlay at 6-2.
• Ellie Fles was named Tournament MVP of the Wayne State Warrior Invite in the first week of the season, leading the Chargers in kills in all three matches and posting double-doubles against Wayne State and Quincy. She's continued her strong play and leads the Chargers in kills per set and points per set so far. Fles showed promise as a sophomore but injuries during the 2025 campaign made consistency difficult. Now fully healthy, Fles appears on the verge of a breakout.
• 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 4.80 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 five of the Chargers' last nine matches, including 12 in a sweep of Northwood and a collegiate-best 13 against Ashland three weeks ago. On a team that's looking for a player to take the lead offensively, Cook could be developing into just that option.
• As just a freshman, Ella Vandermark has already carved out a key role for the Chargers as a middle hitter. Vandermark is contributing the most offense of Hillsdale's middle rotation with 1.65 kills per set, is one of the team's most dangerous servers with 16 aces, and is starting to assert herself defensively with 0.79 blocks per set. Her continued development will be important for Hillsdale's success in the second half of the season.
• 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 654 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.
• Grand Valley State has been a regional power for a long time and has had significant success over the years against Hillsdale, leading the series 27-10 since 1996, including three straight match wins. Hillsdale's last win over the Lakers came in 2021 in the NCAA Tournament, a 3-0 sweep. Against Northwood, meanwhile, the Chargers have won 15 straight to seize full control of what had been a tight series, sitting at 24-16 since 1996. Northwood's last victory in the series came on Nov. 5, 2013.