VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW: Chargers open GLIAC play at home vs. Northwood, SVSU this weekend
September 12, 2007 - The preliminaries are over, now it's time to get down to business. The business for the Hillsdale College volleyball team is defense of its GLIAC South Division title, and the beginning of conference play for the 2007 season, both of which start here at home Friday night.
The Chargers, sporting a 9-4 record and ranked 17th in the nation, will host undefeated and 25th-ranked Northwood University at 7 p.m. Friday inside the Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale is back in action for a noon start Saturday against Saginaw Valley State University.
Northwood comes into the game on a tear, going 12-0 in its first three tournaments of the season, including an impressive 3-2 win over 10th-ranked Truman, a team that beat Hillsdale two weeks ago. The Timberwolves are led by outside hitter Lana Sorokina, who is second in the conference in kills per game, just behind conference leader Melissa Bartlett of the Chargers.
Sorokina has been named GLIAC North Division Player of the Week twice already this season, with Bartlett also winning the award once for the South Division. The Timberwolves represent the fifth nationally ranked opponent for the Chargers already this season, while Hillsdale is the second ranked team Northwood faces.
Bartlett currently ranks fourth in all of Division II in kills per game, with 5.14. That mark also puts her No. 1 in the GLIAC. Junior setter Stephanie Booms is second in the GLIAC and 17th nationally with 12.8 assists per game.
Hillsdale put together a terrific effort in its last meeting with Northwood, sweeping the Timberwolves 3-0 in Midland last season. The Chargers have beaten the Timberwolves three times in a row, including 3-2 wins over Northwood in their last meeting in Hillsdale (Sept. 30, 2005) and a win the last time Northwood entered the match with a national ranking (Sept. 25, 2004). The last time Northwood topped Hillsdale in volleyball was on Sept. 27, 2003, in a 3-0 decision.
Northwood's volleyball page can be found here.
Saginaw Valley comes into this weekend's match on a roll of its own. The Cardinals are 11-2 on the season and have won eight in a row, before Friday's match at Wayne State.The 11-2 record marks the team's best-ever 13-match start to a season.
One of SVSU's top players, Allison Schlinkert, was a high school teammate of Hillsdale's Stephanie Booms at Marysville High School. Schlinkert is second on the Cardinals team in kills, while Booms remains one of the GLIAC's top setters, ranking second in the conference in that category.
Saginaw Valley's volleyball page can be found here.
Hillsdale has won 20 straight GLIAC matches, dating back to the 2005 season. Ashland was the last team to defeat Hillsdale in a conference match, 3-1, back on Oct, 22, 2005.
There will be live stats and webcasting available at Friday's match, with live stats only for Saturday's match. Click on the links below to view the live stats and webcasting for this weekend's volleyball matches.
Live Stats
Webcast
The Chargers, sporting a 9-4 record and ranked 17th in the nation, will host undefeated and 25th-ranked Northwood University at 7 p.m. Friday inside the Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale is back in action for a noon start Saturday against Saginaw Valley State University.
Northwood comes into the game on a tear, going 12-0 in its first three tournaments of the season, including an impressive 3-2 win over 10th-ranked Truman, a team that beat Hillsdale two weeks ago. The Timberwolves are led by outside hitter Lana Sorokina, who is second in the conference in kills per game, just behind conference leader Melissa Bartlett of the Chargers.
Sorokina has been named GLIAC North Division Player of the Week twice already this season, with Bartlett also winning the award once for the South Division. The Timberwolves represent the fifth nationally ranked opponent for the Chargers already this season, while Hillsdale is the second ranked team Northwood faces.
Bartlett currently ranks fourth in all of Division II in kills per game, with 5.14. That mark also puts her No. 1 in the GLIAC. Junior setter Stephanie Booms is second in the GLIAC and 17th nationally with 12.8 assists per game.
Hillsdale put together a terrific effort in its last meeting with Northwood, sweeping the Timberwolves 3-0 in Midland last season. The Chargers have beaten the Timberwolves three times in a row, including 3-2 wins over Northwood in their last meeting in Hillsdale (Sept. 30, 2005) and a win the last time Northwood entered the match with a national ranking (Sept. 25, 2004). The last time Northwood topped Hillsdale in volleyball was on Sept. 27, 2003, in a 3-0 decision.
Northwood's volleyball page can be found here.
Saginaw Valley comes into this weekend's match on a roll of its own. The Cardinals are 11-2 on the season and have won eight in a row, before Friday's match at Wayne State.The 11-2 record marks the team's best-ever 13-match start to a season.
One of SVSU's top players, Allison Schlinkert, was a high school teammate of Hillsdale's Stephanie Booms at Marysville High School. Schlinkert is second on the Cardinals team in kills, while Booms remains one of the GLIAC's top setters, ranking second in the conference in that category.
Saginaw Valley's volleyball page can be found here.
Hillsdale has won 20 straight GLIAC matches, dating back to the 2005 season. Ashland was the last team to defeat Hillsdale in a conference match, 3-1, back on Oct, 22, 2005.
There will be live stats and webcasting available at Friday's match, with live stats only for Saturday's match. Click on the links below to view the live stats and webcasting for this weekend's volleyball matches.
Live Stats
Webcast
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49242
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