CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) volleyball teams competed in week nine of the 2026 season.

Athletes of the Week: 
Offensive Player of the Week:
Addie Atcher (Elizabethtown, Ky.) Transylvania University | Outside Hitter/Right Side | Senior - Addie Atcher had a career week for Transylvania on the offensive side. Atcher reached 1000 career kills in an HCAC win over Bluffton, recording 16 kills in the victory with a .406 hit percentage. Atcher had 21 kills on a .405 hit percentage in a non-conference win over Huntingdon and 24 kills on a .378 hit percentage in the loss to MSJ. With 61 total kills on the week and a career kills milestone, Addie Atcher had a huge impact on Transylvania's 3 game week for a 2-1 record.

Notable Performances:
Offense:

• Blythe Young (Avon, Ind.) Anderson University | Setter | Junior - Blythe Young led Anderson's offense with 106 assists to average 8.83 per set across three matches. Young also contributed eight kills on 18 attempts without an error, posting an impressive .444 hitting percentage as the Ravens finished the week 1-2.
• Genesis Casillas (San Antonio, Texas) Berea College | Outside Hitter | Senior - Genesis Casillas had 20 kills this week, while hitting .161, 15 digs, two blocks, and an ace.
• Laila Sites (Delphos, Ohio) Bluffton University | Outside Hitter | Sophomore - Laila Sites hit .208 with 19 kills to average 2.38 kills per set as Bluffton went 1-1 in HCAC play this week, including a five-set win over Anderson.
• Caylee Brandes (Moline, Ill.) Earlham College | Outside Hitter | Senior - Caylee Brandes led Earlham to a 2-0 week as the Quakers remained undefeated in HCAC action. The senior hitter tallied 37 kills to average 4.11 kills per set with a .308 hitting percentage. Brandes also tallied nine blocks for 42 points on the week.
• McKenzie Schroeder (Linden, Ind.) Franklin College | Right Side | Senior - McKenzie Schroeder was an unstoppable force, collecting 32 kills on .381 hitting as Franklin picked up two critical conference wins. She hammered down 18 kills in a four-set victory at Manchester, then added an incredibly efficient 14 kills against one error on 25 swings (.520) in a four-set home win over Mount St. Joseph. Her efforts helped power the Griz into the third spot in the HCAC standings and gave the program its first 20-win season since 2002.
• Molly Welborn (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Outside Hitter | Sophomore - Molly Welborn led Hanover to a 1-1 week defeating Berea and taking Earlham to five sets. The sophomore recorded 20 total kills averaging 2.86 kills per set, posting a team-high 17 kills at Earlham. She also had 14 digs with four blocks.
• Alicia Simmons (Manhattan, Kansas) Manchester University | Outside Hitter | Freshman - Alicia Simmons posted double-digit kills in both matches for Manchester this week. On Wednesday, Simmons tallied 13 kills on a .226 hitting percentage. On Saturday, Simmons racked up 14 kills on a .270 hitting percentage.
• Sydney Doty (Mariemont, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Middle Hitter | Junior - Sydney Doty helped Mount St. Joseph to a 1-1 week, winning at Transylvania in four sets before falling at Franklin in four. Doty registered 20 kills on the week at 2.5 per set with a .241 hitting percentage. She also registered three service aces and accounted for a team-high 27.5 points this week.
• Emma Blanton (Arcadia, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Outside Hitter | Sophomore - Emma Blanton led the Rose-Hulman offense this week. She totaled 11 kills against Earlham and 14 against Manchester. On the week, Blanton totaled 25 kills with a .205 attack percentage, and an average of 3.13 kills per set.

Around the League:
HCAC Volleyball Schedule | HCAC Volleyball Standings