Schedule
RV Gannon (8-2, 0-0 PSAC) at Hillsdale (5-5, 1-2 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Friday, September 18 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Ashland (8-1, 3-0 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (5-5, 1-2 G-MAC) | Noon Saturday, September 19 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video | Tickets
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Gannon Roster | Ashland Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Gannon Stats | Ashland Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (5^th G-MAC in B/S; 8^th in hitting %); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (5^th G-MAC in D/S); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (2^nd G-MAC in A/S); #16 Caroline Lanicek, Jr., MH, Tiffin, OH/Calvert (10^th G-MAC in hitting %); #20 Ellie Fles, Jr., OH, Grand Rapids, MI/South Christian (9^th G-MAC in K/S, P/S)

Gannon: #3 Alexis Fowler, So., DS, Cranberry Twp., PA/Eden Christian (4th PSAC in D/S); #Ava Gainer, Jr., DS/L, Wheeling, WV/The Linsly School (1^st PSAC in A/S); #6 Carlee Webber, So., MB, Anamosa, IA/Marion (8^th PSAC in B/S); #11 Abbey Williams, So., OH, Chicago, IL/Mother Mcauley (4th PSAC in K/S, P/S)

Ashland: #1 Kylee Urban, Sr., S, Olmsted Twp., OH/Olmsted Falls (7^th G-MAC in A/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, 2^nd in hitting %); #14 Jenna Shedden, So., OH/DS, Cuyahoga Falls, OH/Cuyahoga Valley Christian (2^nd G-MAC in K/S, P/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
Hillsdale faces a stiff test at home this weekend against two squads with a combined 16-3 record on the year.
 
Gannon: A powerhouse who's made the Elite Eight of the NCAA DII Tournament four of the last five seasons, Gannon is off to another fast start at 8-2 with their only two defeats coming to nationally ranked squads.

The Golden Knights have excelled despite limited match play from returning All-American middle hitter Lauren Atwell, who's missed time with an injury. Returning stalwarts Nehir Yazicioglu and Sydney Wake have helped steady the attack up front, and the emergence of sophomore Abbey Williams, currently leading Gannon in kills, has helped give the Golden Knights an elite set of options offensively.

Managing the offense for Gannon is setter Ava Gainer, who's stepped in for graduated All-American Bengisu Arslan and kept the attack humming for the Golden Knights, ranking sixth in the country in assists per set. Libero Alexis Fowler returns for a second season as starter, and Carlee Webber and Brooke Gwiazda are also key contributors up front.

The Golden Knights are coached by Matt Darling, who's 459-159 in 19 seasons, with six regional championships and two Final Four appearances in that time for the Golden Knights.
 
Ashland:  Through three weeks, new head coach Alicia Wood has the Eagles looking like the turnaround team of 2026, as Ashland is off to 7-1 start and a pair of wins over NCAA Tourney team Findlay after a losing season in 2025.

Wood has Ashland contending without a significant roster makeover, as the Eagles' top players are largely unchanged from 2025. Jenna Shedden has made the biggest step forward, not only leading Ashland but ranking among the top in the G-MAC in kills per set, while fellow veterans Sara Krizsa and Myia Etzler have also taken steps forward from 2025 to headline the Eagle attack. Kelsey Lykins and Livi Miller are making important contributions up front as well for Ashland.

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.

 
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale got a big and much-needed sweep of rival Northwood on Tuesday to end a recent slide and get back to .500 heading into a big weekend that includes matches with one of the top teams in the Atlantic Region, and one of the hottest teams in the G-MAC right now.

The team entered 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.

So far this season, Hillsdale has showcased a balanced and efficient attack up front, headlined by juniors Ellie Fles and Caroline Lanicek, who lead the team in the G-MAC in kills per set. They're backed up by offensive support in the middle from freshman Ella Vandermark, who had a great start to her collegiate career, and Molly Kennedy, who has been a breakout player so far in her fourth season with Hillsdale.

Around that core four, Hillsdale has had several players put on credible performances on the attack, including freshman Taylor Brownsword, sophomores Taylor Cook and Maddie Krappmann and junior Hannah Baker, giving the Chargers real depth up front.

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, and is averaging 4.78 digs per set so far. She has been well supported by fellow backrow players Ella Byrum, returned from injury and serving well, 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.
• 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 1-2, behind Findlay at 1-1.
• Ellie Fles was named Tournament MVP of the Wayne State Warrior Invite three weeks ago, leading the Chargers in kills in all three matches and posting double-doubles against Wayne State and Quincy. She continued her strong play in Kenosha last week and leads not only the Chargers in kills but ranks among the top players in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference so far. Fles showed promise as a sophomore but injuries during the 2025 campaign made consistency difficult. Now fully healthy, Fles could be ready for 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 three weeks into the season, and as a veteran presence on a team that lacks experienced middle hitters, Kennedy should be a key 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 two weekends ago, and ranks fifth 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.
• 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 129-14 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 650 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 a long series with both foes this weekend. The Chargers are 24-9 against Gannon since 1996, an artifact of a dominant run by Hillsdale during the latter stages of the Golden Knights' time in the GLIAC, but the series has been much tighter since Darling elevated Gannon's program, with the Golden Knights holding a 4-3 edge in seven meetings since 2016. Hillsdale won the most recent contest between the two teams in a sweep in Sept. 2, 2022. Hillsdale also has a 38-18 record against Ashland since 1996, and has won seven of the last eight and three straight, including a road sweep of the Eagles last season.