In its first match in program history as the top-ranked team in the country, the Hillsdale College volleyball team lived up to the ranking.
The Chargers got the better of a strong Ashland squad in Hillsdale's first non-conference match of the season, topping the visiting Eagles 25-21, 25-19, 25-15 on Wednesday to improve to 6-0 on the season.
With several players back from a 24-win squad last year, and having been picked to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South Division, Ashland came in with a solid reputation and played like it, pushing the Chargers hard in the first set and drawing Hillsdale into several extended rallies throughout the match.
But in the end, the Chargers just had too many weapons offensively and hit too efficiently for the Eagles to keep pace over the course of the match. Hillsdale finished with a .331 hitting percentage and 58 kills in three sets, overpowering Ashland at the net.
Junior Karoline Shelton set another new career high in kills for a 3-set match for the Chargers, finishing with 19 kills and 15 digs for a double-double. Shelton now has 88 kills in six matches for 14.7 kills per match, a pace that in a normal season would give her an outside shot at challening Ashlee Crowder's Hillsdale single-season kills record.
But Shelton was far from alone in having a big offensive night for Hillsdale in the victory. Senior Allyssa Van Wienen finished with 13 kills on a .444 hitting percentage, leaving her just two shy of reaching 1000 for her career, and also chipped in two solo blocks and a block assist.
Sophomore Megan Kolp chipped in eight kills and two solo blocks as well for the Chargers, and freshman Maizie Brown added seven kills on a .455 hitting percentage.
Feeding the Charger attack was senior Lindsey Mertz, who finished with 48 assists, just four shy of her Hillsdale single match record for three sets set against Tiffin last year. Mertz also chipped in two service aces and 10 digs on the evening.
Libero Alli Wiese led the Chargers with 24 digs, and defensive specialist Madie Schider added 14 more as well.
Hillsdale is now 6-0 overall and 5-0 in G-MAC play. The Chargers will look to keep up their winning ways and hang on to the top spot in the AVCA poll, which the Chargers reached this afternoon. Next up is another match against a GLIAC opponent, Davenport, on Friday at 7 p.m., before the Chargers return to conference action on Saturday against Lake Erie at 1 p.m.
Photo by Camryn Olson
