Homecoming Weekend got off to a strong start for the Charger volleyball team Friday night, as it recorded its fourth straight sweep.
In the first-ever Great Midwest Athletic Conference matchup with Ohio Valley University, Hillsdale cruised to a 3-0 win, improving its record to 11-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference. The Chargers are back at home at noon Saturday taking on Davis & Elkins.
Hillsdale won the sets by scores of 25-12, 25-20 and 25-16. The Chargers had moments of dominance in the match, hitting .312 as a team compared to .113 for the Fighting Scots. Freshman setter Lindsey Mertz did an excellent job of making good sets off passes, and moved the ball around all night, keeping the offense unpredictable. She finished with 31 assists in the three sets, improving upon her season average.
In set 1, Hillsdale held control from the start, hitting .306 while holding OVU to a -.025 hitting percentage as a team. The second set saw Ohio Valley improve its passing and hitting, staying close throughout. In set 3, Hillsdale's offense rebounded to the tune of a .486 hitting percentage, one of its highest for a single set all year.
Junior Kara Vyletel in particular was moving well, jumping high and hitting hard as she finished with 10 kills, 10 digs and had a .429 hitting percentage.
Freshman middle hitter Allyssa Van Wienen was second on the team with 22 attack attempts, and made them count with 11 kills and a .409 hitting percentage. Junior Paige VanderWall, the reigning West Division Player of the Week, also had 11 kills with 8 digs and 3 block assists.
Sophomore Taylor Wiese led the defense with 19 digs, and did a terrific job of passing from her libero position. Five different Chargers also had two or more block assists.