It wasn't easy by any means, but the fifth-ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team proved themselves title-worthy once again.
The Chargers clinched at least a share of their fourth-straight G-MAC regular season title and the top overall seed in the upcoming G-MAC tourney in a hard-fought, 25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20 win over host Cedarville on Friday afternoon. With the win, the Chargers improve to 12-1 overall and 10-0 in G-MAC play with one regular season match remaining.
Hillsdale took set one against Cedarville easily, using a 6-1 run in the middle of the set that included three straight aces by freshman Alli Wiese to take a 19-12 edge and pull away.
The Yellow Jackets battled back with a strong second set, using a 6-1 run of their own to build a 20-15 lead late in the set, and then held off a late Hillsdale charge to even the match at one set apiece.
Facing an uphill battle, Hillsdale dug deep to take the third and four sets. Clinging to a 12-10 lead in the third, the Chargers reeled off five straight points, all on kills by Karoline Shelton, Maizie Brown, Allyssa Van Wienen, and Maddie Clark, to open up a commanding lead that would hold.
The fourth was equally back and forth until late. A three-point run that included a Maizie Brown kill and a big block by Brown and Van Wienen allowed the Chargers to finally open up a gap at 24-17 and clinch the set and the match.
Hillsdale's balanced and efficient offense once again was the deciding factor in the victory. The Chargers hit .281 with four players contributing 9 or more kills, led by Karoline Shelton's 12 on a .344 hitting percentage. Van Wienen chipped in 10 kills on a .400 hitting percentage, Brown added 10 on a .500 hitting percentage, and Megan Kolp chipped in nine on a .217 hitting percentage.
Shelton also chipped in 11 digs and a service ace, Van Wienen added four block assists, and Maggie DePorre chipped in six kills and four block assists as well.
Defensively, Wiese was excellent with 17 digs, and tied a single match school record with six aces. Senior Madie Schider also had a standout performance, with 14 kills and three service aces, and setter Madeline Zenas set a new career high with 42 assists and chipped in five kills and 11 digs.
As a team, Hillsdale finished with 12 aces on the match to two service errors and four serve-receive errors, and those extra points played a big role in a tight victory.
Hillsdale wraps up the regular season tomorrow at 1 p.m. against Ohio Valley, with a chance to clinch the outright title. If the Chargers trip up against the Fighting Scots, Walsh could conceivably force a title split, but Hillsdale will remain the top seed in the G-MAC tourney regardless thanks to their head-to-head win over the Cavaliers earlier this season.
Photo by Anthony Lupi