DETROIT -- Taking a break from the gauntlet that is GLIAC play, the Wayne State University volleyball team (12-3 overall) will be in Hammond, Ind. on Friday and Saturday for the 17th annual Midwest Region Crossover. The Warriors, the GLIAC's three seed, will face the likes of Rockhurst (12:30 PM ET) and Hillsdale (5:30 PM ET) on Friday with Saturday's opponent to be decided based on day one's results.
Coach's Corner
"We are excited to step out of GLIAC play this weekend to compete in the annual Midwest Regional Crossover," said head coach
Tim Koth. "There is no other event like it in collegiate volleyball. We get the opportunity to see where we stack up among the region's best so it should be a fun weekend."
About the Event
The 17th annual Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover, the nation's largest collegiate volleyball tournament, will be held at the Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center in Hammond, Indiana, on Oct. 17-18, 2025. The event will pit 11 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) volleyball teams against 13 institutions representing the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and 14 programs from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
Last Time Out
Wayne State is on its third four-match winning streak of the season thanks to a hard-fought five-set victory over Parkside on Friday night and a sweep of Roosevelt the following Saturday afternoon. Against the Rangers, the Warriors took the first two sets, but dropped the next two and were behind 6-0 in the fifth before coming all the way back to claim the win. With the Lakers in the Matthaei, WSU handled its business with set scores of 25-13, 25-16 and 25-22 while 15 different players saw action for the Green and Gold.
Scouting Rockhurst (12-5 overall, 5-0 GLVC)
Coached by sixth-year leader Trent Jones (107-48 overall record), Jones led Rockhurst to the NCAA Tournament four times in his first five seasons. Jones previously spent nine seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Like Wayne State, Rockhurst, the GLVC's two seed, comes in having won four matches in a row as part of victories in eight of its last nine.
Individually, the Hawks' attack is spearheaded by senior outside hitter Sarah Pyle. Pyle is 25th nationally in total kills (238), 31st in points per set (4.45), 37th in total attacks (654) and 39th in kills per set (3.78). Running point for Rockhurst's offense are a pair of setters in junior Molly Trachta (377 assists) and junior Mary Kate Mulvaney (310 assists). Behind the service line, Pyle (26 aces) and Trachta (22 aces) have been the biggest threats for RU. Defensively, freshman defensive specialist/libero Katie Vargo (213 digs), Pyle (210 digs) and sophomore middle blocker Delaney Hope (68 total blocks) have been the ringleaders. Hope is 32nd in the country for hitting percentage (.362) and 43rd for total stops.
Scouting Hillsdale (6-7 overall, 4-3 G-MAC)
Hillsdale, winners in four of the previous five, has begun to build some momentum under veteran 30th-year head coach Chris Gravel (637-293 overall record). Among those previous 29 campaigns are a pair of Elite Eight runs in 2011 and 2021.
Starting on offense, the Chargers are paced by senior outside Adi Sysum (116 kills), sophomore middle Caroline Lanicek (109 kills), sophomore middle Jenna Southland (108 kills), senior setter Josie TeSlaa (378 assists), redshirt junior defensive specialist/libero Chloe Pierce (12 aces) and freshman Madison Peal (12 aces). Defensively, Peal (158 digs), redshirt freshman defensive specialist/libero Ella Byrum (152 digs), Southland (42 blocks) and Sysum (41 blocks) have topped the team.
