Schedule
Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Indiana (PA) (0-0, 0-0 PSAC) | 12:15 p.m. ET Friday, August 28 | Matthaei Center| Detroit, MI
Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Wayne State (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC) | 7 p.m. ET Friday, August 28 | Matthaei Center| Detroit, MI
Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Quincy (0-0, 0-0 GLVC) | 2:45 p.m. ET Saturday, August 29 | Matthaei Center| Detroit, MI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video | WSU Invitational Central
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | IUP Roster | Wayne St. Roster | Quincy Roster | 2025 Hillsdale Stats | 2025 IUP Stats | 2025 Wayne St. Stats | 2025 Quincy Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #2 Jenna Southland, Jr., MH, Three Rivers, MI/Three Rivers (5^th G-MAC in B/S in 2025); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (10^th G-MAC in D/S in 2025); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (2^nd TM in A/S in 2025); #20 Ellie Fles, Jr., OH, Grand Rapids, MI/South Christian (1^st TM in K/S in 2025)

IUP: #3 Delaney Concannon, Sr., OH, Pittsburgh, PA/Thomas Jefferson (2025 HM AA AVCA; 2025 HM AR AVCA); #12 Brooke Kessler, Jr., DS/L, Pittsburgh, PA/Bethel Park (1^st TM in D/S in 2025); #17 Elliott Rauch, Jr., S, Springboro, OH/Springboro (2025 HM AA AVCA; 2025 HM AR AVCA); #18 Jessica Neiman, Jr., RS, Cleveland, OH/Padua Franciscan (2025 HM AA AVCA, 2025 1^st TM AR AVCA, 2025 2^nd TM AR D2CCA)

Wayne St.: #3 Saige Martin, Jr., OH/MB, Westphalia, MI/Pewamo-Westphalia (5^th TM K/S in 2025); #5 Kayla Dulgar, Sr., S, Warsaw, OH/River View (2025 HM AA AVCA, 2025 1^st TM AR AVCA); #12 Paige Giehtbrock Sr., OH, Clarkston, MI/Clarkston/Rider U. (2^nd TM K/S in 2025); #15 Katerina Stout, So., MB, Macomb, MI/Dakota (2025 GLIAC FoY)

Quincy: #1 Selin Turgut, Sr., OH, Ankara, Turkey/U. of Idaho (3^rd TM P/S in 2025); #4 Faith Kientzle, Sr., L, Quincy, IL/Ole Miss (JuCo Transfer/Club DI); #9 Erin Matzke, Sr., MB, Olathe, KS/Olathe North (1^st TM in B/S in 2025); #10 Dasha Safronova, So., OH, Troy, MI/U of Charleston (DII Transfer)

 
Scouting the Opposition

The Hillsdale College volleyball team will stay in the state of Michigan to open the 2026 season, as the Chargers travel to Detroit for three matches at Wayne State as part of their Warrior Invite.
It's shaping up to be a challenging opening weekend for Hillsdale, as all three teams the Chargers play won 20-plus matches and qualified for the NCAA DII Tournament in 2025. With quality competition on tap, the Chargers will be tested early and find out where they stand right away.

Hillsdale opens at 12:15 pm on Friday with Indiana University (PA). The Crimson Hawks have grown into a power in the Atlantic Region over the last few seasons and are coming off a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament, matching the deepest-ever run in program history.

IUP will look to take a step further and win the Atlantic Region with virtually all of their firepower returning from the 2025 squad, including the dynamic offensive duo of All-Americans Delaney Concannon and Jessica Neiman on the outside, and fellow All-American setter Elliot Rauch directing the offense. The Crimson Hawks also return their top back-row players in Brooke Kessler and Lexi McClanahan, as well as the 2025 team leader in blocks in middle Charlotte Potvin, who also finished third behind Concannon and Neiman in K/S for IUP. A veteran team, the Crimson Hawks are a formidable opponent to open the season.

Later on Friday evening, the Chargers will return to the court to take on host Wayne State at 7 p.m. The Warriors are coming off a breakthrough season that saw Wayne State post 24 victories, its most since 1997, and win its first GLIAC title since 1981.

To remain a force in the Midwest Region, Wayne State will have to fill some big holes with the graduation of several key contributors, led by 2025 GLIAC Player of the Year Kayla Giroux. That said, the cupboard is far from bare for the Warriors, who have a returning All-American in setter Kayla Dulgar and solid firepower up front in 2025 GLIAC Freshman of the Year Katerina Stout and outside hitters Paige Giehtbrock and Saige Martin, who finished second and fifth, respectively, on the team in kills per set in 2025. The Warriors will have to break in a new libero, with sophomore Marley Onken the lone returner battling two freshmen for the job.

Hillsdale finishes the tournament on Saturday with a match against Quincy University. The Hawks have been a consistent power in the Midwest Region, with four straight seasons of 20 or more wins and NCAA Tourney berths, but enter 2025 with a lot to prove after significant graduation losses from last year's squad.

Quincy returns just two of their top eight players in sets played from 2025 – veteran middle hitter and multi-year starter Erin Matzke and outside hitter Selin Turgut. Two players who had bit roles in 2025 – setter Macey Rocco and libero Amber Glen – will have the opportunity to play significant parts in 2025, and Hawks also will look to a large group of newcomers, including Charleston transfer Dasha Safronova and JuCo transfer Faith Kientzle, as well as a large 16-player freshman class. With its performances over the last four years, Quincy has earned the benefit of the doubt, but will need to jell quickly entering a tough weekend of matches.

 
Scouting the Chargers

After a season in 2025 that saw successes but wasn't up to its usual standard, the Hillsdale College volleyball team is aiming to take a big step forward in 2026.
Hillsdale enters the 2026 campaign off a 2025 season that saw the Chargers overcome injuries and a shaky start to finish with a winning record and reach the G-MAC Tournament semifinal round. Still, Hillsdale's 14 victories were the Chargers' fewest since the 2014 season, and Hillsdale is hoping that a large group of returners from a young squad last year, along with better health, will propel the Chargers back up the standings in the G-MAC.

Up front, Hillsdale must replace All-G-MAC middle hitter Adi Sysum but returns its next three top players in points per set, a dynamic group of juniors that includes outside hitters Ellie Fles and Caroline Lanicek and talented middle hitter Jenna Southland, who finished in the top 10 in the G-MAC in blocks per set in 2025. Fles in particular missed significant time with injuries in the first month of the 2025 season and could be in line for a breakout campaign with better health in 2026.

Hannah Baker also saw significant time up front for the Chargers in 2025, while two more players who were affected by injuries last season -- sophomore Taylor Cook and senior Marcelina Gorny -- could play a bigger role with better health as well. Senior Molly Kennedy also could factor into the middle hitter rotation after playing a bigger role last year, as could sophomore Maddie Krappmann on the outside.

In the back row, Hillsdale got a big boost when the team's libero and digs leader in 2025, Chloe Pierce, chose to return for a fifth season. Pierce will provide veteran leadership, solid play and strong serving, but she'll be pushed by junior Ella Byrum, back and healthy from an injury that cut her promising sophomore season short, and sophomore Madison Peal, who got significant playing time in 2025 as well.

Hillsdale has been running a 6-2 system the last two seasons, and must replace one of their two setters from 2025 in Josie TeSlaa, but the Chargers have a strong option returning in versatile sophomore Grace Drake, who recorded two triple-doubles as a freshman and proved equally adept as a setter and as a dangerous hitter in the front row. She's joined by two freshmen setters, 6-foot-2 Ivy Rex and local prospect Elizabeth Andaloro, who've shown real promise in the fall and will look to carve out a meaningful early role.

Rex and Andaloro are part of a talented freshman class who should make an immediate impact on the Chargers. Ella Vandermark, Addy Nutley, Madison Geer and Taylor Brownsword are all accomplished prep players up front who will look to break through and into significant playing time early. 

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.
• Hillsdale opens the 2026 campaign as the favorite to win the G-MAC North Division according to the preseason coaches poll, just edging out 2025 champion Findlay by one first place vote. Walsh was picked to win the East Division and Cedarville picked to triumph in the South Division. You can find the full poll here.
• Despite a dip in form in 2025, the Chargers enter the 2026 season as the most dominant team in the G-MAC since joining the conference in 2017. Hillsdale has won seven of the last nine G-MAC regular season and tournament titles and have won at least one G-MAC trophy in eight of nine campaigns. The Chargers are 128-12 all-time in G-MAC regular season matches, and 22-2 in G-MAC Tournament matches. Hillsdale will look to get back to the top of the conference in 2026 after missing out on a G-MAC trophy for the first time in program history in 2025.
• 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 645 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.
• 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 led Hillsdale in service aces (26) in 2025, ranked 10^th in the G-MAC in digs per set (3.36) and will be a key leader for Hillsdale as it looks to improve in 2026.
• Junior Jenna Southland lived up to her potential at the net for the Chargers in 2025, leading the team in total blocks (86) and ranking fifth in the G-MAC in blocks per set (0.98). She'll be a key part of Hillsdale middle rotation again in 2026.
• Junior Ellie Fles battled injuries throughout 2025 but was Hillsdale's top hitter on the court when healthy, leading the team in kills per set (2.38) with a pair of 21-kill performances against North Division foes Tiffin and Findlay. Her health and continued improvement are vital for the Chargers as Hillsdale looks to improve offensively in 2026.
• Grace Drake headlines a promising sophomore class for the Chargers after several strong performances as a freshman in 2025, including a pair of triple-doubles in wins over Northwood and Findlay. A versatile player who can contribute both as a setter and hitter for the Chargers, Drake gives Hillsdale great options on the attack to catch opponents off-guard.
• The Chargers have history with all three opponents this weekend. Hillsdale is 5-1 against IUP since 2000, including a streak of four straight victories that includes the most recent match between the two teams, a 3-1 Hillsdale victory in September 2023. The Chargers have an extensive history with Wayne State, as the two teams were GLIAC members from 1975 to 2016, and Hillsdale has a 28-15 edge over the Warriors since 1996, though Wayne won the most recent match in four sets in the Midwest Regional Crossover last season. Saturday's contest, meanwhile, is just the third match between Hillsdale and Quincy, with the Hawks taking victory in both prior meetings, including a 3-0 sweep in the 2023 Midwest Regional Crossover.