November 12, 2007 - The Hillsdale College volleyball team has qualified for the NCAA Division II regional tournament for the fourth year in a row. The Chargers (26-7), a sixth-seed, will face the University of Indianapolis in the first round Thursday, at 12 p.m. The Greyhounds are the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

Grand Valley State University will host the tournament, which will take place Thursday through Saturday. There will be four quarterfinal matches Thursday, followed by two semifinal matches Friday. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday.

Here are the other first-round regional matchups: Grand Valley vs. Charleston W.Va.); Lewis vs. Ashland; and Northern Kentucky vs. SIU-Edwardsville.

Hillsdale heads into the tournament with a No. 9 national ranking and a 26-7 record. The Chargers were champions of the GLIAC South Division for the second year in a row, and advanced to the GLIAC Tournament Championship Match for the first time in its history.

That positive momentum could carry over into this week's regional tournament. Hillsdale gets matched up with another team that lost in the finals of its conference tournament, the University of Indianapolis.

The Greyhounds have enjoyed their finest season of volleyball in their history in 2007, racking up a gaudy 32-3 overall record heading into the playoffs. Indy was the regular season champions of the GLVC and was the top-ranked team in the Great Lakes Region throughout the season. But red-hot Lewis toppled UIndy 3-0 in the GLVC tournament finals on Sunday, dropping the Greyhounds from first to third in the region.

Hillsdale played Indianapolis during the 2006 regular season, with the Chargers earning a 3-0 win on Oct. 19, 2006 at Hillsdale's Senior Night. The two teams did not play in the 2007 season.

UIndy has enjoyed productive seasons from its setter and middle hitters, who were among the best throughout the GLVC. Setter Beth Robbins has been among the nation's leaders in assists all season, and has piled up 1,564 this season. She has fed hitters Casey Chrzastowski and Lyndsay Callahan with a steady diet of kills all season. Those two players have combined for 804 kills this season.

The Chargers also have a powerful offense at their disposal. Senior Melissa Bartlett is fifth in the nation with 622 kills this season, just 16 shy of the single-season school record. She was named GLIAC Player of the Year last weekend and was named GLIAC South Player of the Week a record four times.

Junior setter Stephanie Booms was also named First-Team All-GLIAC, and ranks among the Chargers; career leaders in service aces and assists in less than three full seasons. Booms and Bartlett were also named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team.

The team's young crop of hitters have improved throughout the season. Sophomore Kittrick Smith (pictured) was named Second-Team All-GLIAC, and her 358 kills this season rank her among the 10 best single-season kill totals in school history. Emily Bennett, Hannah Barrett and Jen Pilot have all taken turns playing big games in the middle for Hillsdale. Pilot had 11 kills in Hillsdale's conference semifinal win over Ashland on Nov. 10.

Hillsdale's defense has been a reliable measuring stick for its overall play all season. When the Chargers play good defense, they're very tough to beat, and leading that defense is libero Megan Howard. A senior, Howard was named Second-Team All-GLIAC and is Hillsdale's career leader in digs and is second all-time in service aces. Junior DS Jamie Murray was honorable mention All-GLIAC, and is one of the team's most reliable servers and passers. Freshman Sydney Dow has ben a welcome addition to the defensive mix this season, providing energy, aggressive serving and selfless team play during her rookie season.

Six of the eight teams in the Great Lakes Region are currently ranked in the nation's top 25, with a seventh team, Northern Kentucky, one spot out of the poll. NKU is as capable of winning the tournament as anyone, showcasing the strength and depth of this region. Lewis, Ashland and Grand Valley join Hillsdale as teams making at least their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

For more information on this weekend's teams and tournament, click on the links below. The second link leads to live stats that will be featured at each match throughout the tournament.

University of Indianapolis volleyball page

Great Lakes Regional Volleyball Tournament Home Page

Hillsdale College volleyball notes