The Hillsdale College volleyball team's AVCA Division II National Championships story had a rough start, but the ending was both satisfying and thrilling.
The Chargers, ranked third in the nation in the most recent AVCA poll, rallied from a 2-0 deficit to stun eighth-ranked Gannon and win the Silver Bracket title on Saturday morning in the Dallas Convention Center.
Hillsdale dropped the first two sets, 18-25, 22-25, to the Knights, but rallied with emphatic 25-18 and 25-16 victories in the third and fourth sets to get back to even, then overpowered Gannon in a close 15-10 fifth set to clinch the victory.
It's Hillsdale's second five-set win over the Knights, after the Chargers beat Gannon in five sets in consolation pool play on Thursday, and it also gives Hillsdale a 2-1 edge in the season series, as the Chargers avenged a 3-1 loss to Gannon on Hillsdale's home floor on Feb. 27.
Hillsdale finishes the AVCA DII National Championship with a 4-2 record. While losses to Flagler and Wingate on Wedensday kept the Chargers from competing for the outright national title, a strong lower-bracket run with several quality wins means the Chargers end the event on a high note, and the experience of playing in an arena venue against some of the top teams in the country will only help Hillsdale in the fall as the Charger team returns intact to take aim at a deep NCAA Division II tournament run.
Photo courtesy of the AVCA