Both Hillsdale College and Michigan Tech did plenty of good things in a well-played match Saturday afternoon at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. But such as sports is, only one team can emerge as a winner.
Thanks to big plays in the clutch, the Chargers pulled out a 3-0 sweep of the Huskies, winning the sets by scores of 25-23, 25-19 and 26-24. Hillsdale is now 12-2 overall and 6-1 in the GLIAC on the season.
One characteristic that has defined Hillsdale's strong start is its won-loss record in closely played sets. The team lost several of those sets last year. But this year, the team is turning those into set victories.
In set one, the Chargers rallied from a 19-16 deficit with a 9-4 run to finish with a match-opening 25-23 win. Hillsdale was in more control through set two, hitting .342 as a team. In set three, Michigan Tech held a 20-15 lead before the Chargers clinched the match with another late run, this one an 11-4 spurt, finished off by the big play of middle hitter Erin Holsinger.
A junior, Holsinger had two kills and a solo block to account for Hillsdale's last three points of the match. She finished with 10 kills, a .429 hitting percentage and 3 block assists.
Freshman Paige VanderWall led the team with 11 kills, while freshman Kara Vyletel matched Holsinger's 10 kills. The setting combo of Marissa Owen and Taylor Bennett combined for 40 assists, while senior Jenalle Beaman solidified the back line with 19 digs.
Beaman and fellow senior Jordan Denmark did a terrific job of ball control defensively for the Chargers. They were able to turn Michigan Tech's aggressive serving into quality scoring chances for Hillsdale's hitters.
Senior Haylee Booms added 8 kills and senior Emily Wolfert had 7 kills, with both players hitting .500 for the match.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Hillsdale hit .303 for the match, committing two fewer errors in eight fewer attack attempts than the Huskies…Bennett had a service ace to clinch set two…The team's 61 digs were a season-high for a three-set match…The Chargers have now matched last season's win total of 12, with five weeks of play left in the regular season…Coach Chris Gravel notched win No. 396 in this victory.
UP NEXT: The Chargers stay home next weekend, hosting Wayne State University at 7 p.m. Friday.
PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Klopfer