September 29, 2012 - The Hillsdale College volleyball team finished its first-ever conference trip to Canton, Ohio with a pair of wins, capped by a decisive 3-0 sweep Saturday afternoon.
The Chargers defeated Walsh University in three sets by scores of 25-13, 25-23 and 25-19 to improve to 6-9 overall and 5-2 in the GLIAC. Hillsdale returns home next weekend to face a pair of more familar foes - Wayne State and Findlay - Friday and Saturday.
For the second straight match, junior Caitlin Kopmeyer was the team's most unstoppable force, finishing with 13 kills and an outstanding .500 attack percentage. She also accounted for six digs, and is becoming more and more comfortable settling in as the team's top offensive option.
A night after setting a career-high with eight total blocks, freshman Haylee Booms set a career-high with seven kills for Hillsdale. Booms finished her prep career as Marysville High School's all-time leader in kills, and is starting to round into form early in her collegiate career.
Freshman Emily Wolfert had nine kills, while senior Lauren Grover matched Booms' total with seven kills. Grover also had one solo block and four block assists for the Chargers. Junior Bekah Draves stepped up with six kills and a .462 hitting percentage.
Junior Sydney Lenhart led Hillsdale with 22 assists while freshman Marissa Owen delivered 12 digs in her second straight start at libero.
After starting the season 1-7 (six nationally ranked opponents), Hillsdale has won five of its last seven matches and is starting to play with the chemistry and confidence essential in the sport of volleyball. Saturday's win over Walsh was its first sweep in seven GLIAC matches this season.