Schedule
#5 Hillsdale (15-12, 10-5 G-MAC) at #4 Ohio Dominican (21-7, 11-4 G-MAC) | 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10 | Alumni Hall | Columbus, OH
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video | Tournament Central
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | ODU Roster | Hillsdale Stats | ODU Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (3rd G-MAC in B/S, 4th 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 (5th G-MAC in K/S, 7th in P/S); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (2nd G-MAC in A/S); #18 Taylor Cook, So., OH, St. Johns, MI/St. Johns (10th G-MAC in K/S)

ODU: #3 Lauren Dinunzi, Sr., L, Louisville, KY/Mercy Academy (9^th G-MAC in D/S, 6^th SA/S); #8 Annie Fincham, Fr., OH, Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge (9^th G-MAC in K/S, 4^th in SA/S); #11 Tess Hayes, Sr., S, Chicago, IL/Mother McAuley/Michigan Tech (1^st G-MAC in SA/S; 5^th A/S); #21 Logan Rubel, So., OH, Cottleville, MO/Francis Howell Central (7^th G-MAC in K/S; 5^th SA/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
Ohio Dominican:  The Panthers have reloaded quickly after a dream season in 2025 that included a first conference tournament title and NCAA tourney appearance, rolling out another 20-plus win season to enter the G-MAC Tourney as a legitimate contender to repeat.

ODU has been impressive offensively despite many new faces. Logan Rubel, the lone holdover from last year's Panther attack has continued to excel, but she's gotten excellent support from Freshman of the Year candidate Annie Fincham, breakout junior Chloe Gels and fellow freshman Taylor Thierry. Middles Evelyn Connor and Ava Horn also contribute at a solid clip for the Panthers, who rank among the G-MAC's best offenses.

With a void to fill at setter, the Panther brought in a big-time transfer in former Michigan Tech star Tess Hayes, who's excelled with her new team so far. Lauren Dinunzi, a multi-year starter at libero for ODU, patrols the back row with help from fellow veteran Christen Tarter. Both Hayes and Dinunzi are serious weapons behind the serving line as well.

The Panthers are coached by Amy Bambenek, who has brought the Panthers to new heights in six seasons, including a 26-win season last year.

 
Scouting the Chargers
The Chargers enter the G-MAC Tournament as a dark horse after making major gains during a closing stretch that saw Hillsdale win five of their final six matches. Hillsdale likely will have to win three road matches but are playing with more confidence and are a dangerous team for the top four seeds to face.

One of the keys in Hillsdale's recent successful stretch 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 4.70 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 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

• 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 22-2 record all-time in G-MAC Tourney matches. The Chargers also have a perfect 9-0 record in matches in the quarterfinal round. To keep that streak going, Hillsdale will have to end an impressive streak for ODU, which has played in three consecutive G-MAC Tourney finals and claimed the 2025 title.
• 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 4.70 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 13 matches after posting just three in the first 13. She's led the Chargers in kills in five of the team's last 10 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 on the eve of the G-MAC Tourney.
• 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 12 of the Chargers' last 18 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.
• 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 9.86 assists per set and giving herself a chance to become 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 661 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.
• The Chargers have historically dominated the series with the Panthers, holding a 20-3 record all time, but haven't beaten ODU on the court since 2024, as the Panthers won a four-set match in 2025 and a five-set thriller over the Chargers earlier this year. Hillsdale will be looking to avenge that loss and make the G-MAC semifinal round for the 10^th straight season