Schedule
Hillsdale (3-0, 0-0 G-MAC) vs RV Nova Southeastern (4-0, 0-0 SSC) | 12 p.m. CT Friday, September 4 | De Simone Arena | Kenosha, WI
Hillsdale (3-0, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Purdue Northwest (1-3, 0-0 GLIAC) | 4 p.m. CT Friday, September 4 | De Simone Arena | Kenosha, WI
Hillsdale (3-0, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Jamestown (4-0, 0-0 NSIC) | 12 p.m. CT Saturday, September 5 | De Simone Arena | Kenosha, WI
Hillsdale (3-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at RV Parkside (3-1, 0-0 GLIAC) | 4 p.m. CT Saturday, September 5 | De Simone Arena | Kenosha, WI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video | Hampton Inn Invitational Central
 
Additional Info:
Hillsdale Roster | Nova Roster | PNW Roster | Jamestown Roster | Parkside Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Nova Stats | PNW Stats | Jamestown Stats | Parkside Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (1^st G-MAC in B/S); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (3^rd 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., Tiffin, OH/Calvert (8^th G-MAC in K/S, 3^rd in hitting %) #20 Ellie Fles, Jr., OH, Grand Rapids, MI/South Christian (4^th G-MAC in K/S and P/S, 8^th in hitting %)

Nova SE: #4 Natalya Bergant, So., RS, Mentor, OH/Lake Catholic (6^th SSC in P/S, 9^th in SA/S); #5 Taylor Teaman, Jr., DS/L, Jacksonville, FL/Trinity Christian/West Florida (3^rd SSC in D/S); #6 Abbie Roth, So., S, Kansas City, KS/Piper (2^nd SSC in A/S, 6^th in D/S); #17 Caiden Largent, Sr., OH, Advance, NC/Reagan/West Florida (4^th SSC in K/S, P/S)

Purdue NW: #12 Anika Huelskamp, Sr., OH, Oxnard, CA/Oxnard (2^nd TM in K/S); #14 Cecelia Goode, Fr., OH, Warsaw, IN/Warsaw (1^st TM in SA/S); #22 Addison Smith, Fr., S, Crystal Lake, IL/Prairie Ridge (1^st TM in A/S, D/S); #29 Ainsley Johnson, Fr., MB, Springfield, IL/Calvary (5^th GLIAC in B/S, 10^th in hitting %)

Jamestown: #1 Sophie Ketterling, Sr., DS, Napoleon, ND/Napoleon (1^st NSIC in D/S); #7 Caroline Puetz, Jr., OP, Wyndmere, ND/Wyndmere-Lidgerwood (9^th NSIC in B/S); #12 Gracie Adamson, Sr., OH, Brookings, SD/Brookings (3^rd NSIC in K/S, P/S, 4^th in D/S); #16 Momoka Minamiya, Sr., DS, Tokyo, Japan/Kawagoe General (11^th NSIC in SA/S)

Parkside: #1 Natalie Harris, Sr., L, Racine, WI/Case (1^st GLIAC in D/S); #3 Avary Polavin, So., OH/DS, Grand Rapids, MI/Forest Hills Northern (6^th GLIAC in K/S, 8^th in P/S); #8 Lucy Russ, So., S, Villa Park, IL/IC Catholic Prep (7^th GLIAC in A/S); #17 Maia Olson, So., MB, Bloomington, IL/Normal Community (1^st TM in B/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
After a stellar opening weekend against strong competition, the Hillsdale College volleyball team is busy once again this Friday and Saturday against another talented slate of opponents at the Hampton Inn Invitational in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Hillsdale opens the competition at noon on Friday with a strong opponent, an undefeated Nova Southeastern team from southern Florida. The Sharks have been a strong squad in a rugged Sunshine State Conference, with six straight winning seasons and four campaigns of 20 or more wins, but are hoping to get back to the NCAA Tournament after just missing last season.

Nova lost two All-Americans from an 18-win squad last season but returned a top hitter in All-SSC honoree Caiden Largent, who started the season on a tear last weekend to lead the Sharks to a 4-0 start. Returning setter Abbie Roth also shined for the Sharks this weekend, taking on the full load after sharing setting duties in 2025. Backing up Largent, Nova has a strong core of hitters that includes Natalya Bergant, Erika Spankus and Hadley Dantzler, all averaging 2.4 or more kills per set, while West Florida transfer Taylor Teaman has looked solid as the new libero as well.

Hillsdale then plays regional foe Purdue Northwest later on Friday evening. The Lions had their best season in a decade in 2025, finishing at .500 overall, but are attempting to reload after bidding farewell to a strong senior class. Purdue Northwest went 1-3 against tough competition at its opening invite, picking up a victory over Illinois-Springfield in the final match.

The Lions have a new look offensively, with senior Anika Huelskamp the only major returning contributor. Freshman Ainsley Johnson has taken charge at the net, leading the Lions in both kills and blocks, while Katrina Soto, Chloe Deckard and Kennedy Rowzee have all taken on bigger roles in the offense after small parts in 2025. Freshman Addison Smith has stepped in immediately as the team's primary setter and is easing into the role.

The Chargers continue the action on Saturday at noon against Jamestown from the NSIC. A former NAIA squad that's in just its second year in NCAA DII, the Jimmies have adapted quickly to the new level, as a strong 4-0 opening weekend shows.

A veteran and battle-tested squad, Jamestown has a go-to player up front in senior Gracie Adamson, as well as one of the NSIC's top liberos in senior Sophie Ketterling, both of whom shined in opening weekend action. Addison Ertz and Caroline Puetz are also key players on the attack for the Jimmies, with Puetz doubling as Jamestown's top blocker as well. The Jimmies run a 6-2 offensively, with sophomores Ava Bertsch and Kate Wiebesiek splitting duties.

The weekend finishes on Saturday evening as Hillsdale battles host Parkside. The Rangers have been competitive the last three seasons, but opened eyes in the first weekend of the 2026 campaign, going 3-1 with a signature victory over then 19^th-ranked West Texas A&M on the Buffaloes' home floor. Parkside will be looking to break into contention in the GLIAC and contend for the program's first-ever NCAA DII Tournament berth.

Parkside is led by senior Natalie Harris, a two-time GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American at libero. While Harris is the headliner, Parkside has paired her prowess with a strong attack led by sophomore Avary Polavin and senior Sierra Kilbourn, both averaging over three kills a set. Lucy Russ and Masina Reuter split setting duties in Parkside's 6-2 system, while Maia Olson adds both offense and defense in the middle as well for the Rangers.

 
Scouting the Chargers
The Chargers sent a message with a 3-0 opening weekend against three teams that made the 2025 NCAA DII Tournament, showcasing significant improvement from last year's squad and looking like a team to be reckoned with. Hillsdale will look to keep that form with more tough matches against top squads this weekend heading into conference play.

Hillsdale 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.

In Detroit last weekend, Hillsdale showcased a balanced and efficient attack up front, headlined by big performances from juniors Ellie Fles and Caroline Lanicek, who both averaged 3.2 or better kills per set. They were backed up by strong performances in the middle from freshman Ella Vandermark, who had a great start to her collegiate career, and Molly Kennedy, who was the breakout star of the weekend and currently leads the G-MAC in blocks per set.

Around that core four, Hillsdale 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 got off to an excellent start in her second season as the team's libero, averaging 4.45 digs per set in three victories. She was 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 exclusively to sophomore Grace Drake, who responded with an impressive showing in Hillsdale's three victories, including a career-high in assists against host Wayne State.

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.
• Fresh off their strong opening weekend performance, Hillsdale was honorable mention in this week's AVCA Top 25 poll, earning votes for the first time since the 2025 preseason poll. The Chargers also opened 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.
• Ellie Fles was named Tournament MVP of the Wayne State Warrior Invite, leading the Chargers in kills in all three matches and posting double-doubles against Wayne State and Quincy. She's also the only player in the G-MAC currently to rank in the top 10 in both kills per set and hitting percentage. 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.
• Caroline Lanicek joined Fles on the All-Tournament team for the Chargers this past weekend with impressive numbers herself, averaging over 3 kills a set. She played a big role in Hillsdale's offensive efficiency, hitting an impressive .403 for the weekend that ranks third in the G-MAC and second among outside hitters.
• 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 to lead the G-MAC in that stat so far. If she can continue that form, it would be a huge boon for a Hillsdale squad that otherwise lacks experience in the middle.
• 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 at Wayne State with an impressive 4.45 digs per set, good for third in the G-MAC and a major improvement on her numbers in 2025. A veteran leader 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 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.
• This weekend will be one of new experiences for the Chargers, who are playing two teams for the first time and one for just the second. Host Parkside has the longest history with Hillsdale, as the Chargers are 6-2 all-time against the Rangers and have won five straight, most recently in a meeting at the Midwest Regional Crossover in 2024. Both of Parkside's wins in the series came in the 1990s. Hillsdale also won its only prior meeting with Purdue Northwest in four sets, also in 2024. This weekend will be the first time the Chargers have ever matched up with Nova Southeastern and Jamestown, though the Jimmies will have a familiar face, as former Charger Greta Wise plays for Jamestown.