With seven new players and a slew of strong returners, the Hillsdale College women’s volleyball team is set to start its season this weekend.
The Chargers, who went 23-8 last season, will travel to Clarion University of Pennsylvania to challenge teams sporting equally impressive records.
The Chargers were ranked No. 2 in the North Division by the GLIAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Ferris State, scheduled as Hillsdale’s second conference match in two weeks, took the No. 1 spot.
“It was a bit of a surprise, but we’ll take it,” Gravel said. “Picked second or picked fifth, it’s all the same — we want to be first.”
After making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 12 years, the Chargers were defeated last year by the Findlay Oilers in the Regional Tournament quarterfinal match — ending one of the best seasons in program history.
“Last year’s team got a good taste of what NCAAs felt like, and it hurt really bad to make it to the first round and be eliminated by a team we saw so many times,” senior middle hitter Erin Holsinger said.
The Chargers plan to build on last year’s success, head coach Chris Gravel said.
“One thing we don’t want to change is this — we don’t want to stop winning,” Gravel, who’s entering his 21st season with the Chargers, said. “We want to figure out how to do it again. We always want to do better than we’ve done before. Despite having new freshmen and having some of the injuries, it doesn’t change our goals or expectations for ourselves.”
After graduating four seniors, the Chargers have welcomed seven new players to the roster, including junior Jackie Langer, who transferred to Hillsdale last spring after spending two years as an outside hitter at Wisconsin-Parkside.
Langer will play a key offensive role this year, partnering on the outside with sophomore powerhouse Kara Vyletel. Sophomore right-side hitter Paige VanderWall will return to the court after a late-season ACL injury. Although VanderWall’s season was cut short, she still tallied the second highest number of kills for the Chargers last fall.
“Paige is awesome. I’m so proud of her and her recovery, that’s not an easy thing to go through, and she handled it like a true champ,” Holsinger said. “Paige is really vital to our offense, and so is Kara. And the experience they gained last year is huge.”
Junior libero Brittany Jandasek, recovering from her second surgery, is set to return to the court in October. For now, freshman Taylor Wiese has stepped in to handle the back row.
“Taylor is playing more like a seasoned sophomore than a freshman,” Gravel said.
Gravel’s veteran players returned to campus in top shape, ready to compete with seven new faces for the starting spots, he said.
“The returners worked extra hard this summer,” Gravel said. “They knew they had to be at the top of their game because we have so many new people, and they did.”
The Chargers are led by a trio of senior captains: Erin Holsinger, Kyra Rodi, and Sam Siddall. Gravel and Vyletel agreed the senior class offers a variety of leadership.
“This year the leadership will be a mixture on and off the court,” Vyletel said. “For example, Kyra is going to be great with energy on the court while Erin is more intense.”
Holsinger, a dynamite middle hitter, is set to lead the squad this season after being named GLIAC Blocker of the Year last fall.
“Erin is looking good, jumping well, and she’s really fast,” Gravel said. “The main difference from last year is her control on the floor with emotional swings. Her focus will be a good example for the other players.”
Gravel said Rodi will pair with Holsinger as the Chargers’ second middle hitter — a new position for the versatile senior.
The team’s offense looks strong, and the defense looks balanced, Vyletel said, but before the season starts, the Chargers must stay motivated.
“Right now everyone is confident in practice and we’re all excited about our talent level — we know we can be good,” Vyletel said. “But we need to make sure we don’t take advantage of our talent level and we still work hard enough to get better and push to take the steps the other teams aren’t taking.”
The Chargers will face some “big tests” in the weeks leading up to conference play, Gravel said. The team will head to Clarion University of Pennsylvania this weekend, then Findlay University the next, before hosting Grand Valley and Ferris on Sept. 16 and 17.
“They’re going to be young, too, but they always present the biggest challenges because they’re big and they’re strong,” Holsinger said.
During the team’s two-week preseason training, the Chargers matched up against multiple GLIAC rivals including Ferris State and Grand Valley. In comparison, Gravel said his team looks solid — but the season is going to be a battle, he warned.
“The team that believes in itself is going to be the most successful. It’s hard to keep believing when the talent is that great on the other side, but when we do, we can see that our talent is up for the task,” Gravel said. “We could do some damage, but it’s never going to come easy.”
