The Hillsdale College volleyball team took its first loss of 2026 in a hard-fought match against Nova Southeastern, but rallied with an impressive sweep of Purdue Northwest in the nightcap to split the first day of the Hampton Inn Invite on Friday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

In a battle of two teams receiving votes in the most recent AVCA poll, the Chargers overcame a 25-16 loss in the first set to the Sharks with gritty play in the second, battling back from an early deficit to win a 26-24 thriller and even up the match. Trailing 14-13 in the second, Hillsdale got a kill by Ellie Fles and solo block by Ella Vandermark as part of a 3-0 run to pull ahead. After Nova Southeastern tied up the set at 23-all, Hillsdale fought off a set point thanks to a kill by Hannah Baker and closed out the set with two more points.

The match was ultimately decided by a critical and competitive set three. The Chargers and Sharks fought hard, trading the lead back and forth. Hillsdale looked like it had taken the edge and had a shot to go up 2-1 late, taking a 23-22 lead on kills by Ellie Fles and Marcelina Gorny and an ace by Hannah Baker, but Nova Southeastern rallied with three straight points to pull out a 25-23 victory and gain a crucial edge in the match. The Sharks rode the momentum and closed out the Chargers with a 25-17 victory in the fourth set.

Hillsdale had its moments of competitiveness in the match, especially in sets two and three, but couldn't overcome 27 attack errors, as the Chargers hit .148 to the Sharks' .271. They also fell victim to strong serving by Nova Southeastern, who had 12 aces to Hillsdale's five.

Ellie Fles led Hillsdale with 10 kills and five digs, while Taylor Brownsword chipped in nine kills for the Chargers and Ella Vandermark added five kills, two service aces and four total blocks. Senior Molly Kennedy continued strong early-season play with six kills on .429 hitting and three blocks, and Marcelina Gorny contributed six kills as well.

Chloe Pierce led the Chargers defense with 12 digs, Hannah Baker chipped in 10, and Grace Drake added 28 assists and four digs as well.

Hillsdale bounced back impressively after the loss, routing Purdue Northwest 25-18, 25-18, 25-13 in its second game of the day to get back on track immediately. Hillsdale carved out early advantages in each of the sets, taking an 11-5 lead in all three, and never looked back, steadily pulling away from there. For the match, Hillsdale's efficiency shone, as the Chargers hit .321 to Purdue Northwest's .111 and Hillsdale finished with 34 kills and just seven attack errors while forcing the Lions into 19.

The Chargers spread the wealth around effectively against Purdue Northwest, with five players finishing with five or more kills. Hannah Baker led the way with seven kills, five digs and two aces, and Ellie Fles chipped in seven kills as well. Molly Kennedy had another strong match with six kills, and Ella Vandermark added three kills and three aces as well for the Chargers.

Hillsdale's two setters each had impressive matches in the win over the lines. Grace Drake finished with five kills on .444 hitting, seven digs and 20 assists, while freshman Ivy Rex showed promise as a hitter as well with five kills on .417 hitting, and also contributed four digs and six assists. Chloe Pierce led the Chargers defensively with 17 digs.

The Chargers are now 4-1 overall and will finish up the Hampton Inn Invite with two challenging matches on Saturday, facing a dangerous Jamestown squad at noon CT before closing out the invitational against host Parkside at 4 p.m. CT.