October 4, 2007 - Despite a 7-0 start to its conference schedule, the Hillsdale College volleyball team is hardly playing with house money this weekend when it hosts three teams from the North Division at the Jesse Philips Arena.

The Chargers, 16-4 overall and ranked 11th in the nation, has three consecutive home matches this weekend, starting with Thursday's home match against Michigan Tech University. Friday, Hillsdale hosts the second-place team from the North Division, Northern Michigan University, before wrapping up the home stand vs. Lake Superior State University Saturday. The matches begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, while Saturday's match commences at 2 p.m.

The dealer's cards have been kind to the Chargers this season, as they team has consistently found ways to win even if it isn't holding the best hand. Hillsdale has a two-game lead on Ashland in the South Division, and has won 27 straight GLIAC matches, dating back to Oct. 22, 2005, nearly two calendar years ago.

But don't call this cast of Hillsdale players jokers, either. The Chargers remain at the top of many GLIAC statistical rankings, including No. 2 in team hitting percentage, No. 1 in assists, No. 1 in kills per game, and No. 2 in team winning percentage. Only Grand Valley (18-2) has won a higher percentage of its matches so far this season.

There have been plenty of queens in the deck for the Chargers this season, led by several of its returning starters. Senior Melissa Bartlett is the reigning GLIAC South Division Player of the Week, an award she's won twice this season. She leads the conference in kills per game (5.3), a number that ranks her fourth in the nation among all Division II players.

Junior Stephanie Booms is the GLIAC leader in assists per game, handing out 12.77 each game. Senior Megan Howard, now Hillsdale's all-time leader in career digs, is currently tied for fourth in the conference with 4.9 digs per game. Sophomore Kittrick Smith is 10th in the conference in kills per game, and is attacking the ball with more confidence and frequency this season. Sophomore Emily Bennett is third in the GLIAC in hitting percentage (.357).

This marks the second consecutive season Hillsdale has hosted the three Upper Peninsula schools. Last year the Chargers won all three matches in tha slate, including a 3-1 victory over Northern Michigan on Sept. 30 that was the 200th career victory for head coch Chris Gravel.

Michigan Tech (6-8, 4-3) has played the fewest matches of any GLIAC school to this point in the season. The Huskies are led by sisters Christa and Jen Jung, who are among the better blockers in the GLIAC. Jen plays middle hitter, while Christa is a right-side/opposite-side hitter for the Huskies. Jen Jung is second in the GLIAC with 1.33 blocks per game.

Northern Michigan has a new coach this season, Dominic Yoder. He takes over a young, but talented team that is off to a 7-1 start in conference play this season. Hillsdale swept NMU 3-0 in the first round of last season's GLIAC Tournament. This season, Northern Michigan is third in the GLIAC in overall winning percentage (13-7), and features nine players from the state of Illinois, including several from the talent-rich west suburbs of Chicago.

Lake Superior State is led by outside hitter Jessica Ewer, who is second in the GLIAC in digs per game (5.88). The Lakers are 6-12 this season and 2-5 in conference play.

All matches this weekend will be available to watch over the Internet, via B2Networks. Live stats are also available for all three matches this weekend. Check out the volleyball page on the Hillsdale College athletic website for details.