HANOVER, Ind. – The Hanover volleyball team is set to open the 2020-2021 campaign on Saturday, January 23 when they welcome Defiance College to Collier Arena. First serve is scheduled for 2 PM.
 
THROWBACK: Last season, Hanover tallied an 18-11 overall record with a perfect 10-0 mark at home. The Panthers claimed a runner-up finish in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play before advancing to the HCAC Tournament Semifinals.
 
RETURNING FOR HANOVER: The Panthers welcome two first team all-conference selections from a season ago in junior Kelsey Ketcham (Mishawaka, Ind. / Marian) and junior Emma Rolf (Lebanon, Ind. / Western Boone). Ketcham returns to the Panther lineup after seeing action in 27 matches with 100 sets played. She tallied a combined 92 kills with 827 assists. The setter averaged 8.19 assists and 1.25 points per set.
 
Rolf appeared in 28 matches with 104 set appearances. She finished the season ranked second with 297 kills averaging 2.86 per set. The junior posted a team-best 354 total points, while averaging 3.40 points per set.
 
LAST MEETING: The last time these two teams met, Hanover claimed the five-set victory (23-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-20, 15-8) led by Rolf with a team-high 12 kills and Ketcham with 45 assists. As a team, the Panthers recorded a .135 hitting percentage with 53 total kills.
 
STREAKS: Hanover currently holds a five-match win streak over the Yellow Jackets dating back to the 2015 season. The last meeting inside Collier Arena came in 2017 when the Panthers topped Defiance in straight sets (25-16, 25-13, 25-12).
 
UP NEXT: The Blue and Red return to action on Wednesday, January 27, when they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on Mount St. Joseph. Game time is set for 6:00 PM.