It doesn't get much closer in volleyball than it did Saturday for Hillsdale College and Saginaw Valley State University.
After the Cardinals crushed the Chargers 25-12 in the first set, the next four sets were all decided by the minimum of two points. But it was host SVSU who pulled out a 16-14 win in the fifth set, winning the match 3-2 over Hillsdale.
The Chargers are now 7-6 overall and 6-3 in the GLIAC with the loss. The team returns home after four straight on the road next weekend, hosting Grand Valley State and Ferris State.
Hillsdale recovered from its first-set whipping to post a 25-23 win over the Cardinals, overcoming a 15-8 deficit while doing so. SVSU came back with a 32-30 win in set three, the longest set played by the Chargers this season. After that deflating set loss, Hillsdale bounced back with a 30-28 win in the fourth set.
The last three sets all went to "extra" points, with more than the 25 or 15 needed to determine a winner.
The Cardinals were less mistake-prone than the Chargers, committing 27 attack errors compared to Hillsdale's 40. SVSU outblocked the Chargers 12-7, a big part of that number difference in the errors committed by the teams.
Junior Haylee Booms set a new career-high with 16 kills to lead Hillsdale on the day. Sophomore Erin Holsinger matched her career-high with 15 kills, while junior Emily Wolfert tacked on 12 kills and 12 digs.
Junior Marissa Owen had a double-double as well, with 52 assists and 17 digs. Freshman Brittany Jandasek matched Owen's digs total, while senior Lindsay Kostrzewa had one solo block and four block assists.
This marked just the third time since 1998 Saginaw Valley State has defeated Hillsdale in volleyball. The Chargers hadn't lost to the Cardinals in any match since 2008.