Big matches and even bigger opportunities awaited the 17th-ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team as the Midwest Regional Crossover got under way on Friday at the Hammond Sportsplex in Hammond, Indiana.
And the Chargers took full advantage on day one, sweeping through two highly respected opponents and seeing one of their senior leaders etch her name into the program's record book once again.
#17 Hillsdale 3, Indianapolis 0
The Greyhounds have long been a respected opponent for Hillsdale, and one the Chargers have encountered many times in past Crossovers and in NCAA Tournament play, most recently a five-set Charger victory in 2019 in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional.
On Friday, however, Hillsdale had UIndy's number in both teams' opening match of the Midwest Regional Crossover, rolling past the Greyhounds in a clinical 25-16, 25-10, 25-16 sweep.
UIndy had no answer for the Chargers at the net offensively, as Hillsdale outhit the Greyhounds .325 to .056 and finished with 48 kills to UIndy's 25 in the victory. Defensively, Hillsdale was similarly dominant up front, finishing with 11 total blocks to UIndy's three.
Leading the way for Hillsdale in the victory was senior setter Lindsey Mertz, who not only performed at an extremely high level in the win (36 assists, 13 per set, as well as 12 digs and three total blocks) but also broke a 13-year-old school record in the victory.
Her 36 assists were enough to overtake Charger legend Stephanie Booms' career total of 4,640 assists and claim sole possession of the Chargers' career assists record. With 70 on the day, she now stands at 4,686 overall. Mertz had already set the single-season record for assists with 1,264 in 2018, and continues to bolster her claim to be one of the greatest players in Hillsdale history.
Mertz was highly effective distributing the ball against the Greyhounds, with five Charger hitters finishing with five or more kills. Junior Karoline Shelton led the way with with 15 kills, six digs and four block assists for Hillsdale, while senior Maddie Clark hit .423 with 12 kills as well.
Senior Allyssa Van Wienen added seven kills, three aces and two block assists as well for Hillsdale, and Maizie Brown chipped in six kills and seven block assists for Hillsdale.
Freshman libero Alli Wiese led the Chargers defensively with 15 digs, and sophomore Audrey Riley chipped in 10 digs as well.
#17 Hillsdale 3, #16 Lewis 0
The win over Indianapolis led into a highly-anticipated evening match with the Flyers, the top seed in the Crossover from the GLVC and the only team in the Midwest Region rated higher than the Chargers in the AVCA Poll.
In a hard-fought, fiercely contested match, Hillsdale used its mastery of the fundamentals to keep the Flyers at bay, sending Lewis packing with a massive 25-22, 25-12, 25-19 victory.
The Chargers barely edged out the Flyers in total kills on the night, 39-37, and had fewer service aces, but were able to put Lewis away with superior offensive efficiency and a strong defensive performance at the net.
Hillsdale committed just seven attack errors in the match while forcing Lewis into 23 errors, outhitting the Flyers .241 to .094. A lot of that gap came down to Hillsdale's superior blocking -- the Chargers finished with 11 blocks to Lewis' three on the night and effectively controlled the net. That was an edge that mattered for the Chargers late in sets one and three.
Trailing Lewis 21-20 in set one, Hillsdale scored five of the final six points to steal the set from the Flyers, helped by two service aces from freshman libero Alli Wiese. Then, in set three, with the opportunity to close out a critical in-region win, Hillsdale broke an 18-18 tie with seven of the next eight points, punctuated by a kill from senior captain Allyssa Van Wienen, to finish off Lewis.
Senior outside hitter Maddie Clark had another excellent match for the Chargers against Lewis, tying her career-high in kills in a three-set match with 14 and chipping in four total blocks as well. Van Wienen chipped in nine kills and four blocks as well for Hillsdale, while junior outside hitter Karoline Shelton added seven kills and had a monster game defensively for Hillsdale, finishing with a career high 26 digs to lead the Chargers in the stat.
Wiese added 22 digs for the Chargers defensively, and sophomore Audrey Riley chipped in 12. Freshman Maizie Brown was a big help defensively at the net as well for the Chargers, with four blocks, and senior Maggie DePorre added three blocks as well.
Senior setter Lindsey Mertz had another big effort for the Chargers, finishing with 34 assists and also chipping in eight digs and three kills.
Now 18-2 overall, Hillsdale ran its match win streak to 16 straight with Friday's wins. The Chargers finish off the Midwest Regional Crossover with another huge match against the top seed from the GLIAC, Michigan Tech, who also took down Lewis in three sets earlier in the afternoon. A victory would not only give the Hillsdale a spotless record in the Crossover, but would also give the Chargers pole position in the race for the top seed and potentially hosting duties for the NCAA Midwest Regional at the end of the season.
Hillsdale and Michigan Tech will meet at 1:45 p.m. ET on Saturday.