The Game
The University of Findlay women's volleyball team has advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Women's Volleyball Championship for the first time since the 2018 season. The eight-seed tournament began on Tuesday, Nov. 14 with four quarterfinal matchups. The tournament has now moved to Hillsdale, Mich. for both the semifinal and final matches.
Findlay's semifinal game will be played Friday at 5:30pm EST and pits the Oilers against the Hillsdale College Chargers. Since the 2005 season, the two teams have crossed paths 39 times, with the Chargers holding a historical advantage of 28 wins to 11 losses. In the most recent ten encounters, Findlay has faced challenges, yet emerged victorious in the last two matchups, both occurring this season.
A few days ago, the two teams clashed in Findlay, resulting in a victory for the home team.For more about that match,
CLICK HERE.
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Tickets
Tickets for Findlay at Hillsdale
Follow the Action
Video streaming of the contest will be produced by Hillsdale College and streamed on the Great Midwest Digital Network.
Live Stream
Live Stats
Findlay Oilers (23-7, 15-4 G-MAC) | #4 Seed
2023 Findlay Volleyball Coaching Staff
With the win in the quarterfinals over Northwood, the Oilers hold a 23-7 (.789) record and ended conference play with a 15-4 (.767) mark. Findlay, who is ranked ninth in the NCAA Midwest region, entered the tournament as the fourth seed.
Findlay won 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 28-26, 25-17) over fifth-seed Northwood to advance to the quarterfinals. For more about that match, CLICK HERE.
The Oilers are at the forefront of the conference for kills, averaging 12.97 per match. They also top the conference charts in opponent kills, holding their competition to just 10.38 per set.
Offensively, UF is led by freshman duo Kirsten Bomholt and Hannah Miller. Bomholt is averaging 3.20 kills per set, coming in at sixth in the conference. Meanwhile, Miller is chipping in 2.89 per set. Sophomore Lauren Foerster remains a threat as she has averaged 2.46 kills per set in the last three contests, while hitting .297 on the week.
Sophomore Emma White remains at the forefront of the Oilers offense. The setter is attaining an outstanding average of 10.53 assists per set, the top figure in the conference. She has amassed 1,200 assists this season, the fourth most in Division II.
Findlay's middle hitters maintain a strong presence at the net. Sophomore Kenzie Hoelscher boasts the third-highest hitting percentage in the league with an impressive .355 average. Additionally, she takes the lead in blocks for the team, with an average of 0.78 per set. Sophomore Alana Pohlman contributes an average of 2.33 kills per set while hitting .325, the fourth-highest hitting percentage in the conference.
Under the leadership of head coach Wick Colchagoff, Findlay has yet to secure a conference tournament championship. However, in 2017, the Oilers achieved the status of Co-West Division G-MAC Regular Season Champions. Prior to that, they claimed the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South regular season title seven times. Their best run at the tournament title was in 2018 where they fell in the G-MAC Tournament Final to Hillsdale. Since then, Findlay has failed to make it past the quarterfinals, until this season.
About the Opponent – Hillsdale Chargers (25-6, 16-3 G-MAC) | #1 Seed
2023 Hillsdale Volleyball Coaching Staff
The Chargers enter the semifinals with a 25-6 (.806) record on the season with a 16-3 (.842) mark in conference play. Hillsdale has won six-straight Great Midwest Volleyball Tournament titles.
Hillsdale won 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-15) over eighth-seed Cedarville to advance to the quarterfinals. For more about that match, CLICK HERE. With the win, Hillsdale remains perfect in G-MAC Tournament play at 19-0 since entering the conference in 2017.
In the conference, Hillsdale holds the second position in kills, maintaining an average of 12.73 per match. They top the conference in hitting percentage at .238.
Junior Marilyn Popplewell spearheads the team's efforts. With a season hitting percentage of .279, while averaging 3.37 kills per set, ranking fifth in the conference. Hillsdale relies on junior Maizie Brown offensively as the middle hitter leads the conference in hitting percentage at .373. Brown leads the team in blocks averaging 1.05 per set.
While that duo is quite dominant for the Chargers, it is important to note that sophomore Emory Braswell is averaging 2.68 kills per set. Senior Megan Kolp is also contributing with an average of 2.25 kills per set.
Junior Lauren Passaglia runs Hillsdale's offense, averaging 9.03 assists per match, the fourth-highest in the conference.
The Final Game
Both higher seeds on the bottom half of the bracket were upset, which means that sixth-seeded Tiffin and seventh-seeded Ohio Dominican will meet in the other semifinal on Friday at 7:30 p.m., with the two winners advancing to play for the G-MAC crown in the championship match on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST.
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