Schedule
SF1: #2 Findlay (19-8, 13-2 G-MAC) vs #3 Cedarville (17-10, 12-3 G-MAC) | 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 | Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, OH
SF2: #5 Hillsdale (15-12, 10-5 G-MAC) at #1 Ashland (22-5, 15-1 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 | Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, OH
F: SF1 winner vs SF2 winner | 1 PM Saturday, Nov. 14 | Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, OH
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video | Tournament Central
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | Findlay Roster | Cedarville Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Ashland Stats | Findlay Stats | Cedarville Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (2^nd G-MAC in B/S, 6^th in hitting %); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (3^rd G-MAC in D/S); #9 Taylor Brownsword, Fr., OH/DS, Massillon, OH/Jackson (5^th G-MAC in K/S, 8^th in P/S); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (2^nd G-MAC in A/S); #18 Taylor Cook, So., OH, St. Johns, MI/St. Johns (9^th G-MAC in K/S)

Ashland: #1 Kylee Urban, Sr., S, Olmsted Twp., OH/Olmsted Falls (7^th G-MAC in A/S, 3^rd SA/S); #3 Livi Miller, Jr., MB, North Canton, OH/Hoover (4^th G-MAC in hitting %, 10^th B/S); #5 Abbey Queen, Sr., L, Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty/Wheeling (1^st G-MAC in D/S); #8 Myia Etzler, Jr., MB, Van Wert, OH/Convoy Crestview (1^st G-MAC in B/S)

Findlay: #3 Victoria Mescher, So., MH, Fort Loramie, OH/Fort Loramie (10^th G-MAC in SA/S); #10 Zoya Winkelfoos, Sr., DS, Mount Gilead, OH/Highland (6^th G-MAC in A/S); #15 Hannah Miller, Sr., OH/DS, Tiffin, OH/Calvert (1^st G-MAC in K/S, P/S, 5^th SA/S, 10^th D/S); #19 Stephanie Smith, Jr., OH, Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake (6^th G-MAC in K/S, 5^th P/S)

Cedarville: #5 Carley Craighead, So., MH, Vancouver, BC, Ankeny, IA/Ankeny Christian (2^th G-MAC in B/S; 10^th in hitting %); #11 Sidney Shepherd, So., S, Whitehall, MI/Whitehall (1^st G-MAC in A/S); #12 Madelyn Hensley, Sr., OH, Dover, DE/Homeschool (2^nd G-MAC in K/S, P/S); #18 Alivia Rutt, Jr., L, Elizabethtown, PA/Mount Calvary Christian (2^nd G-MAC in D/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
Ashland:  The Eagles rolled to the G-MAC regular season crown with a 15-1 record and are hosting the final two rounds of the G-MAC tourney this weekend in an amazing one-year turnaround by new head coach Alicia Wood, who has the Eagles on track to make the NCAA Tourney after a losing season in 2025.

Most impressively, Wood has Ashland contending without a significant roster makeover, as the Eagles' top players are largely unchanged from 2025. The Eagles also have weathered a significant injury to top offensive player Jenna Shedden, who hasn't seen the court since September. Despite being down their most dangerous attacker, Ashland has continued to role with major contributions from veteran outside hitters Sara Krisza, Kelsey Likins and Samantha Young, freshman Haley Balo and top middles Myia Etzler and Livi Miller.

The setters remain the same for Ashland as dependable seniors Marin Dixon and Kylee Urban share the role after Urban led the Eagles in assists in 2024 and Dixon in 2025, and Abbey Queen returns as one of the G-MAC's top liberos, earning multiple All-Conference honors. Sydney Weickert also sees action in the back row for the Eagles.

Wood, an Ursuline graduate, comes to Ashland after leading a successful turnaround at St. Olaf College in Minnesota from 2024-25, and Illinois College from 2020-23. Her assistant coach is Lauren Passaglia, a former Hillsdale College All-American at setter and a 2025 graduate.

Findlay: The Oilers are another team that have had a great season despite heavy graduation losses from 2025, rolling to a North Division title and the second seed in the G-MAC Tourney.

This season, Findlay has leaned heavily on Hannah Miller, who leads the G-MAC with 4.19 kills per set along with massive usage rates as a strong contender for conference player of the year. Fifth year veteran Lauren Foerster is a capable supporting piece on the right side, along with junior Stephanie Smith, who's come on in a big way in the second half of the season to take pressure off Miller.

The Oilers have had to piece together setting after being dealt a rough hand by injuries. Converted DS Zoya Winkelfoos has filled in admirably, while Kristen Bomholt, Claire Schoenberger and Miya Ellerbrock occupy the back-row for the Oilers. Miller also makes big contributions defensively as a six-rotation player. Victoria Mescher mans the middle for Findlay, along with Keira Turek and Abria Lomax.

Head Coach Wick Colchagoff is in 33rd season as a coach, 29th at Findlay and is one of 11 active coaches at the NCAA DII level with over 600 wins along with Hillsdale coach Chris Gravel.

Cedarville: The Yellow Jackets overcame a brutal nonconference schedule with another excellent conference season to claim the G-MAC South Division title, and enter the weekend as a real contender to win its first G-MAC tourney crown since 2016.

Up front, Cedarville leans heavily on star outside hitter Madelyn Hensley, a multi-year All-G-MAC player whose 6-foot-2 frame makes her a tough player to stop and a legitimate contender for G-MAC Player of the Year honors. Allie Pilat is a solid supporting player offensively as well along with freshman Kalynn Stoner, while middle hitters Carley Craighead and Sienna Hanson also make important contributions offensively and rank in the top five in the G-MAC in blocks per set.

The graduation of All-G-MAC setter Kaley Matney has left big shoes for the Yellow Jackets to fill, but sophomore Sidney Shepherd has stepped in and led the G-MAC in assists per set as a 5-1 setter for Cedarville. Veteran libero Alivia Rutt continues to provide solid play in the back row as well for Cedarville, along with Bekah Williams and Meagan Johnson.

Head coach Greg Smith, in his ninth season, has led Cedarville to back-to-back G-MAC South Division titles, and the top record in the G-MAC last season.

 
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale was the only lower seed to advance out of the G-MAC Tournament quarterfinal round, thanks to a reverse sweep of fourth-seeded Ohio Dominican. The Chargers will be the underdog at Ashland this weekend with the top three seeds still in play, but will be a dangerous opponent indeed for teams to face on the other side of the net.

One of the keys in Hillsdale's recent successful stretch at the end of the season has been more consistent offensive play. Freshman Taylor Brownsword and sophomore Taylor Cook have consistently produced for the Chargers in the last month, while senior Marcelina Gorny also has stepped into a major offensive role as she's finally playing with full health. Those three have added to the contributions of junior Ellie Fles and senior Molly Kennedy to give Hillsdale a solid offensive foundation that's paid dividends the last two weeks.

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 4.62 digs per set so far. At the crossover in mid-October, she became just the thirteenth player in program history to surpass 1,000 digs for her career. 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

• You can stream the entire 2026 G-MAC Tournament on FloCollege 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.
• Hillsdale is in the G-MAC Tournament for the 10^th straight season, and the Chargers have a storied history as a participant, with seven G-MAC titles in nine trips and a 23-2 record all-time in G-MAC Tourney matches. Both of Hillsdale's losses, in 2024 and 2025, came in the semifinal round of the tourney.
• As mentioned above, Hillsdale is a seven-time G-MAC Tournament champion, having won every year from 2017 to 2023, while Cedarville has four crowns, but has not won since 2016. Findlay won the G-MAC Tourney Championship in 2024 and reached the final last year. Ashland, meanwhile, is looking for its first conference tournament title as a G-MAC member, and its first finals appearance since 2021. The Eagles won the GLIAC Tournament in 2006 for their last conference tournament title overall.
• 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 in mid-October. 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 4.62 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.
• Senior Marcelina Gorny has battled injuries throughout her career that kept her from reaching her potential, but she's gotten healthy just in time as a senior and experiencing a late-career breakout. She's exploded offensively for the Chargers in the last couple of weeks, and set a new career high with 15 kills in last Friday's win at Walsh while hitting .451 for the weekend to earn G-MAC North Division Athlete of the Week honors for the first time. Entering what could be the final week of her career, Gorny is finding her footing at the right time and significantly boosting Hillsdale's chances of making a postseason run.
• Freshman Taylor Brownsword has seen her attacking role with the Chargers grow in recent weeks, with seven or more kills in 11 of Hillsdale's last 14 matches after posting just three in the first 13. She's led the Chargers in kills in five of the team's last 11 matches, including becoming the first Hillsdale player since All-American Paige VanderWall in 2018 to produce back-to-back 20 kill matches on Oct. 10 and Oct. 16. Brownsword currently ranks fifth in the G-MAC in kills per set and Hillsdale will continue looking for her to play a major role offensively as it hunts a G-MAC Tourney crown.
• 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 13 of the Chargers' last 19 matches, including 25 in two matches heading into the crossover at GVSU and Northwood. Her 16 kills led the Chargers in a G-MAC Tournament quarterfinal victory at Ohio Dominican on Tuesday to extend Hillsdale's season. On a team that's looking for a player to take the lead offensively, Cook could be developing into just that option.
• After sharing the setter role in 2025 as a freshman, Grace Drake has taken full charge of Hillsdale's offense in 2026. As one of only a few teams in the conference running a 5-1, Hillsdale has been giving Drake plenty of work and the sophomore has responded with a stellar season, ranking second in the G-MAC with 9.83 assists per set and becoming just the 11^th player in program history to surpass 1,000 assists in a single season. She'll play a big role in the team's stretch run success.
• 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 662 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.
• Ashland is one of Hillsdale's oldest rivals. The Chargers have a 40-23 edge all-time dating back to 1989, including wins in three of the last four contests, but the Eagles one a Sept. 19 meeting in four sets earlier this season. Among the two programs in the other semifinal, Hillsdale has a 41-26 edge since 1996 against Findlay and split two meetings with the Oilers this year, and 14-5 advantage over Cedarville since 2013, though the Yellow Jackets have won three straight including a four-set victory on Sept. 11. In order to claim the crown, Hillsdale will have to avenge two losses as the Eagles, Oilers and Yellow Jackets all won their most recent meeting with the Chargers.