October 21, 2009 - The 23rd-ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team will play its final two home matches of the regular season this weekend. But that doesn't mean these will be the last matches played at home for the Chargers in the 2009 season.

Hillsdale will host Tiffin University at 7 p.m. Friday, followed by a noon Saturday match against Ashland University.

At Friday's match, seniors Emily Bennett and Hannah Barrett will be honored as part of Senior Night in a pre-game ceremony. With three more wins this season, this class can become the all-time winningest class of players in Charger volleyball history.

Hillsdale has a chance to win two of those matches this weekend, against a pair of teams it's had some success against in recent years.

The Chargers have won six in a row over Ashland, and four straight over Tiffin. Hillsdale won road matches against both foes last month, and with two wins this weekend, can clinch at least a tie for the GLIAC South Division championship.

A win over the Dragons Friday night would clinch a home match for Hillsdale in the first round of the 2009 GLIAC Volleyball Tournament. That match would be played on Wednesday, Nov. 11 against an opponent yet to be determined.

Hillsdale is 17-5 on the season, but has lost two in a row overall, last weekend in the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge, to Indianapolis and Northern Kentucky. It was the first time this season the team has lost back-to-back matches, although the Chargers did not play poorly in either match.

This weekend's home matches are the first of three consecutive weekends when the Chargers play their second match of the season against fellow South Division teams. Hillsdale went 5-0 against those teams earlier in the season, winning four of those matches in 3-0 sweeps. The only team Hillsdale didn't sweep during that streak was Tiffin, who is 0-11 in conference play.

The Chargers are ranked 23rd in the nation, their highest spot in the top 25 poll this season. Hillsdale is in search of its third South Division crown in the past four seasons, and the team's nine conference wins this season are already more than it had during the 2008 campaign, when it was 8-8 in the GLIAC.