September 11, 2008 - It's a busy home weekend for Hillsdale College athletics, and a main attraction of the weekend will be the 18th-ranked Charger volleyball team facing its first two conference foes in the friendly confines of Jesse Philips Arena.

Hillsdale hosts South Division rivals Ashland (7 p.m. Friday) and Tiffin (noon Saturday) in the GLIAC openers. The Chargers are two-time defending GLIAC South Division champions, and the quest for a third straight title begins this weekend.

Hillsdale is off to an 8-2 start to the season, with its only two losses coming to teams currently ranked (California Pa. and Minnesota-Duluth). Six of Hillsdale's eight wins have come by 3-0 sweeps, including Tuesday night's win over Davenport University at home.

The Chargers haven't lost a regular season home match since Oct. 15, 2005, a streak that has now reached 25 matches. However, the last team to defeat the Chargers in Hillsdale was Ashland, which it did twice within one fateful week at the end of the 2006 season.

The 2006 Chargers finished 29-2, with both losses coming to Ashland, in the GLIAC Tournament and NCAA Regional Tournament. Hillsdale returned the favor in 2007, handing the Eagles three of their six losses of the season, including a 3-0 win in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals.

Both Hillsdale and Ashland (4-3 overall) had to replace outstanding players due to graduation, and are going with younger players in key positions. Freshman Anesia Benton leads the Eagles with 94 kills and 3.48 kills per set so far this season.

Another freshman, Ashlee Crowder, leads the Chargers in kills with 86 through 10 matches this season. Crowder is part of a talented freshman class that has made s strong impact on Hillsdale's team already this season.

Crowder and Clara Leutheuser - the team leaderin total blocks - were each named to the All-Tournament Team at Findlay last weekend. Crowder had 10 or more kills in all four matches at the weekend tournament.

Tiffin comes into Saturday's match with an 8-2 record, but got swept by Findlay in the GLIAC opener for both teams. The Dragons' Brittany Teaford was named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week on Monday. Teaford averaged 3.18 kills per set last week in guiding Tiffin to five straight wins over schools like Bluefield State and Davis & Elkins. By contrast, Crowder averaged 3.91 kills per set while facing opponents like nationally ranked California Pa., and Wheeling-Jesuit, a team that went undefeated in its conference last season and qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Tiffin is in its first year in the GLIAC. The last time the Dragons played the Chargers, it was the 2004 season, and Hillsdale won easily, 3-0.

Senior setter Stephanie Booms is closing in on the school's career record for assists. She needs 458 assists to shatter the record, currently held by 2001 graduate Stephanie Mckeachie. Booms has been named First-Team All-GLIAC twice, and in 2007, set the school's single-season assists record.

Junior Emily Bennett leads the GLIAC in hitting percentage (.478). The Chargers as a team lead the conference in team hitting percentage, and are second in the GLIAC in opponents' hitting percentage.

For more information on Hillsdale's opponents this weekend, click on the links below.

Ashland University volleyball page

Tiffin University volleyball page