Schedule
Kentucky Wesleyan (3-9, 0-4 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (5-7, 1-3 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Friday, September 25 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Thomas More (5-6, 1-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (5-7, 1-3 G-MAC) | 5 p.m. Saturday, September 26 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats & Video | Tickets
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | KWC Roster | Thomas More Roster | Hillsdale Stats | KWC Stats | Thomas More Stats | G-MAC Stats | G-MAC Standings
 
Players to Watch
Hillsdale:  #3 Molly Kennedy, Sr., MH, Copley, OH/Archbishop Hoban (5th G-MAC in B/S, 6th in hitting %); #5 Chloe Pierce, 5th, DS/L, Grabill, IN/Leo (4th G-MAC in D/S); #14 Grace Drake, So., S/OH, Wabash, IN/Southwood (1st G-MAC in A/S); #20 Ellie Fles, Jr., OH, Grand Rapids, MI/South Christian (10th G-MAC in K/S, P/S)

KWC: #11 Sophie Spanier, Jr., L, Independence, KY (10th G-MAC in D/S); #12 Hadley Wolfe, Sr., MB, Henderson, KY (8th G-MAC in hitting %); #16 Emmy Goering, So., OH, Carmi, IL (1st TM in K/S); #18 Mackenzie Bristol, Fr., OH, Evansville, IN (8th G-MAC in B/S)

Thomas More: #5 Paige Stockhoff, Jr., S, Cincinnati, OH/Oak Hills (1st TM in A/S); #10 Reagan Martin, So., OH/RS, Lexington, KY/Lexington Christian (6th G-MAC in K/S, 7th in P/S); #12 Taylor Stivers, Jr., DS, Louisville, KY/Atherton (8th G-MAC in D/S, 9th in SA/S); #27 Sadie Stuart, Fr., MB, Lexington, KY/Paul Lawrence Dunbar (7th G-MAC in B/S)

 
Scouting the Opposition
KWC: The Panthers have taken a step forward in 2026, with three wins in 12 matches, more than Kentucky Wesleyan totaled in each of the last two seasons combined.

An improved offense has been a difference-maker so far for the Panthers. Sophomore Emmy Goering on the outside and senior Hadley Wolfe in the middle are both posting improved kills per set from 2025, while Abigail Buttersworth has come on to give Kentucky Wesleyan a third option the Panthers have lacked offensively in recent seasons.

Setters Grace Lewis and Ana De Sevilla-Acosta split the duties of directing the offense in a 6-2 system for KWC, while junior Sophie Spanier ranks in the top 10 in digs per set in the G-MAC as the Panthers' libero. 6-foot-2 freshman Mackenzie Bristol leads KWC in blocks and gives the Panthers size up front the team hasn't had in a while.

The Panthers are coached by Alejandra Jimenez, now in her fourth season leading the program as the full time head coach after serving as the interim late in the 2022 campaign. KWC is still looking for its first-ever win over Hillsdale, with an 0-13 record all-time against the Chargers.
 
Thomas More: After breaking through in 2025 with the program's first ever G-MAC Tourney appearance, Thomas More is looking to continue building in 2026. The Saints are off to a 5-6 start with a 1-2 record against tough opposition in G-MAC play.

Up front, sophomore Reagan Martin has emerged as a bonafide star for Thomas More and one of the top players in the G-MAC in terms of kills per set. Freshman Eva Steinmetz and senior Cece Kamer provide support on the attack for the Saints, who rank middle of the pack in the G-MAC in kills per set.

Like many teams in the conference, the Saints run a 6-2 system with multiple setters. Junior Paige Stockhoff has taken on a bigger role at the position this year, and shares the job with freshman Megan Rogers. Libero Taylor Stivers is among the G-MAC's top players in digs per set and one of the league's top servers, while 6-foot-2 freshman Sadie Stuart has made an important impact defensively for the Saints at the net early in her career.

Thomas More is coached by Holly Bronner Stiver, now in her seventh season. The Saints are 0-3 all-time against Hillsdale and looking for their first win over the Chargers.

 
Scouting the Chargers
A tough schedule to open conference play that included several title contenders has Hillsdale in need of a bounce-back weekend at home this Friday and Saturday to get back on track and back in the G-MAC North Division title race.

Hillsdale has made use of a variety of players offensively so far as it looks for consistent play, with juniors Ellie Fles and Caroline Lanicek and sophomore Taylor Cook all contributing 2.6 or better kills per set. The Chargers also have gotten solid production out of the middle from senior Molly Kennedy and Ella Vandermark, while freshman Taylor Brownsword also has flashed potential in a few opportunities up front. In general, however, the Chargers are hoping to cut down on attack errors and show more stability from set to set.

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 among the G-MAC leaders at her position, averaging 4.84 digs per set so far. 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

• This weekend is Community Weekend for the Chargers, presented by Farmers Insurance – Justin Price Agency! Thanks to a generous donation by the agency, admission will be free to all spectators for both volleyball matches and the Saturday noon football contest against Thomas More. Come watch Chargers athletics for free this weekend!
• 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 1-3, behind Findlay.
• Ellie Fles was named Tournament MVP of the Wayne State Warrior Invite in the first week of the season, leading the Chargers in kills in all three matches and posting double-doubles against Wayne State and Quincy. She's continued her strong play and leads not only the Chargers in kills but ranks among the top players in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in that stat so far. Fles showed promise as a sophomore but injuries during the 2025 campaign made consistency difficult. Now fully healthy, Fles appears on the verge of 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 four 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 three weekends ago, and ranks fifth in the G-MAC with a solid 4.84 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.
• After a quiet freshman season, sophomore Taylor Cook has been coming on strong on the outside for the Chargers. She's led or tied for the team lead in kills in four of the last five matches, including 12 in a sweep of Northwood last Tuesday and a collegiate-best 13 against Ashland on Saturday. On a team that's looking for a player to take the lead offensively, Cook could be developing into just that option.
• 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 been dominant in its all-time series against the two Kentucky schools it plays this weekend, winning all 13 prior meetings against Kentucky Wesleyan and all three matches against Thomas More. The Chargers swept 15 of those 16 victories against the Panthers and Saints, and have never gone to five sets with either team.