The Hillsdale volleyball team gained four freshman this year. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

 

The Hillsdale volleyball team was picked as the top team in the 2023 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll. 

The Chargers received 89 first-place votes in the poll, released Aug. 29, and are favored to win the G-MAC North Division and capture their seventh straight G-MAC tournament championship. 

Last season, the Chargers finished 24-6 in the regular season, with a 16-2 conference record. Their G-MAC tournament win gave the Chargers a bid to the NCAA Division II tournament, where they lost to the Ferris State University Bulldogs in the second round.

The Chargers will begin their campaign Sept. 1 against the Northern Michigan University Wildcats. Both teams are competing in the UP Open, which is hosted by NMU in Marquette, Michigan. It will feature Hillsdale G-MAC rivals Northwood University and Michigan Technological University.

“We definitely are going to make a good run in the conference this year,” assistant coach Allyssa Van Wienen said. “We practice the same as we always have, and we approach every match the same with the mindset of ‘we’re going to do what we have to do to win.’”

The Chargers will return two players who were All G-MAC first team players for the 2023 season. Van Wienen said junior libero Alli Wiese, as well as junior outside hitter Marilyn Popplewell will be players to watch this season.

“I think a strength is our commitment to one another and the program – everyone is very bought in,” Popplewell said. “We all love each other and work our hardest for each other everyday in practice, so that will hopefully correlate well with how we represent on gameday.”

This year’s team will feature four freshmen. Junior Jaclyn Wise will be joined by her younger sister Greta who is also an outside hitter. The Chargers also added two middle hitters: Marcelina Gorny from Prospect Heights, Illinois, and Molly Kennedy from Copley, Ohio. In May, head coach Chris Gravel signed his fourth recruit, setter Vasiliki Paplomata from Triadi, Thermi, Greece. d

Returning players for the Chargers also include All G-MAC second team middle hitters Maizie Brown and Megan Kolp, as well as All G-MAC third team setter junior Lauren Passaglia. 

“I think everyone is just really excited to get back on the court for game day to showcase the work we’ve put in this preseason,” Passaglia said. “The conference keeps getting better so it will definitely be an exciting year.”

Hillsdale will play four games in the UP Open. After the match against NMU, the Chargers will face the Winona State University Warriors, the Concordia University St. Paul Bears, and the Michigan Tech Huskies. 

The following week, the Chargers will head to G-MAC rival Findlay University to compete in the Findlay Classic, during which the Chargers will face fellow Michigan schools including the Wayne State University Warriors and the Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals. This will prepare the team for its first home game against the Ursuline College Arrows, which will also begin conference play.