Friday Recap
After struggling in the opening set Friday afternoon, the Hillsdale College volleyball team turned on the afterburners and opened the Towne Place Suites Classic in Findlay with a 3-1 win over Clarion University.
Play continues Saturday as the Chargers take on Malone at 9 a.m. and Pittsburgh-Johnstown at 1 p.m. at the Croy Gymnasium.
Clarion won the opening set 25-21, a set that saw Hillsdale commit eight attack errors while allowing the opposition a .333 hitting percentage. The match was all Chargers from there, however, as they only committed 11 more hitting errors in the three subsequent sets and ran away with set wins by scores of 25-15, 25-21 and 25-13.
Hillsdale rebounded from a .097 team hitting percentage in the opening set to hit a tidy .429 in set two, converting 14 kills against just 2 errors. Clarion's hitting percentage plummeted from .333 in set one to .176 for the match.
Four players cracked double digits in kills in Hillsdale's balanced attack, led by Jackie Langer's 13. Erin Holsinger had 11 kills and a team-best .529 hitting percentage, while sophomores Kara Vyletel and Paige VanderWall each had 10 kills. VanderWall hit a blistering .471 for the match, and had 3 block assists.
Hillsdale had 11 service aces as a team, led by a season-high 3 from freshman Emily Lachmann. Sophomore setter Taylor Bennett had 42 assists, 2 aces and 8 digs, while Langer and freshman Taylor Wiese each led the defense with 9 digs.
Saturday Recap
A 9 a.m. start time isn't always conducive to the cleanest volleyball play. But the Chargers were able to overcome a rough start to sweep a past and future conference foe.
Hillsdale swept Malone University 3-0 Saturday morning to open up play on day two of the Towne Place Suites Classic in Findlay.
The Chargers won all three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-12 and 25-17.
The opening set was tight all the way, with Hillsdale scoring the final two points to break a 23-23 tie. Malone's offense generated just 7 kills out of its 23 points in the first set, which illustrates how many self-inflicted wounds the Chargers endured in that opening set.
But starting with set 2, Hillsdale found its preferred offensive and defensive rhythm, outscoring the Pioneers by a total of 21 points over the final two sets. Malone had a team hitting percentage of .028 in the match compared to .296 for Hillsdale.
VanderWall was terrific in the win, with a team-high 10 kills, 2 assists, 5 digs and 2 total blocks to go along with a .350 hitting percentage. Vyletel added 9 kills.
Bennett dished out 32 assists while Wiese led the back line with 14 digs. Senior Kyra Rodi had 5 kills and no errors, good for a .625 hitting percentage.
Hillsdale 3, Pittsburgh-Johnstown 0
As 3-0 sweeps go, Saturday's final match of the Towne Place Suites Classic was a hotly contested one between the Chargers and Pittsburgh-Johnstown.
Hillsdale earned a 3-0 win with set scores of 25-17, 25-19, 27-25 to improve to 6-1 on the season.
In set 1, the Chargers got off to a roaring start, leading from the get-go. But sets 2 and 3 were much more competitive.
P-J got out to a 10-2 lead in set 2, only to fall victim to a huge rally by the Chargers. Hillsdale won the set thanks in part to a 17-5 run that completely flipped momentum into its favor.
Set 3 was a marathon, with the Chargers needing two extra points to close out the win. Hillsdale lost its first set of the tournament, then won nine in a row to finish off the weekend.
VanderWall, Langer and Vyletel each contributed 10 kills to the win over P-J. Bennett had 37 assists, 12 digs and 3 aces in a superb effort. Rodi and Holsinger combined for 15 kills and just 2 errors in the match.
PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Vyletel
VOLLEYS: Freshman middle hitter Hannah Gates and freshman outside hitter Dani Jones each made their collegiate debuts in the win over Clarion...The Chargers open up their final season in the GLIAC at home next weekend by hosting Grand Valley State Friday and Ferris State Saturday.