RICHMOND -- The Earlham College volleyball team will be hosting the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference volleyball Tournament this weekend as the top six teams in the conference compete for the final trophy. 

THE SCHEDULE

The Quakers have earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and received a first-round bye. In the semifinal matchup on Saturday, Earlham will be facing off against No. 4 Hanover who won its first round game against Anderson. The Panthers gave Earlham it's only conference loss of the regular season with a 5-set match in Hanover earlier in the season. 

If the Quakers advance, they will play the winner of the No. 2 Mount St. Joseph and No. 3 Transylvania semifinal which will be played on Saturday. Earlham defeated both teams in the regular season, with the Lions falling in a 5-set thriller on homecoming. 

THE PROTOCOL

Gameplay remains unaffected but there are important guidelines for fans. All entrants to the Athletics and Wellness Center at Earlham will be required to properly wear a face mask while inside the building, regardless of vaccination status. 

TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK

The Quakers have HCAC Player of the Year Maria Young leading the way on offense this season. The sophomore from Bedford, Va. has scored 315 kills and has an attack percentage of .258. Seniors Giselle Mora and Sarah Dickman pose offensive threats with 258 and 230 kills respectively. 

Erin Wagner handles setting responsibilities for Earlham and is nearing the 1,000 assist mark for the 2021 season. The junior also leads the Quakers in serving aces with 35. 

Jennifer Shamel leads the Earlham backline as the libero. She leads the Quakers with 394 digs this season. 

In the most recent NCAA regional rankings, Earlham received a sixth-place nod in the midwest rankings. Also ranked in the region is Mount St. Joseph in ninth place. The winner of the conference tournament will receive an automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament, at-large entrants are based off of regional rankings. 

QUOTES FROM THE COACH

"We are excited to host our first HCAC Conference Tournament. The department and campus partners have worked overtime to ensure the atmosphere is special for the athletes and spectators. We know each team will be at their best this weekend and cannot wait to compete for the title. It should be fun!" From Head Coach Lauren Horton. 

Horton is in her seventh season leading the Quakers and was selected as the HCAC Coach of the Year after winning the regular season title. 

HOW TO FOLLOW

Goearlham.com will have live stats and links to video for all matches over the weekend. Indiana SRN will be broadcasting video of the entire weekend at HCAC.tv.