On a night where there was plenty for the Hillsdale College volleyball team to celebrate, the Chargers weren't going to let visiting Ashland spoil the party.
The 18th-ranked Chargers rallied from a big first-set deficit to pull off an improbable victory, then used the momentum to sweep past the Eagles, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17, to decisively win a match-up of the teams with the two best records in the G-MAC.
Hillsdale got down early to a red-hot Ashland team in set one, as G-MAC points per set leader Erin Krupar staked the Eagles to an 18-12 lead. But Hillsdale responded with five straight points, including three straight kills from junior outside hitter Karoline Shelton, and eventually closed the gap to 22-21. From there, the Chargers scored the final four points, three of them on kills, to take the set, with Shelton punctuating the action with her eighth kill of the set to seal a 25-22 victory.
After the Charger comeback, Hillsdale had Ashland on the back foot for the rest of the match, controlling sets two and three from an early point to pull away and secure the sweep.
Shelton had another monster all-around night, coming one kill short of finishing with a double-double in the first set alone. In the end, she finished with 12 kills, 23 digs and three block assists to lead the Chargers.
With Shelton attracting most of the defensive attention after a dominant first set, the floor opened up for the rest of the Charger hitters, and senior outside hitters Maggie DePorre and Maddie Clark took advantage, each pounding down 10 kills to give Hillsdale three players in double figures on the night. DePorre also chipped in three total blocks in one of her best all-around performances of the season.
Senior middle hitter Allyssa Van Wienen chipped in eight kills and two block assists, and freshman Maizie Brown chipped in four kills and five block assists as well for the Chargers.
Hillsdale's defense had a solid night limiting one of the better offensive teams in the G-MAC to just a .158 hitting percentage for the match. Along with Shelton's 23 digs, freshman libero Alli Wiese chipped in 22 digs, freshman Amy Buffini added 15, and senior Madie Schider chipped in 14.
On a night where Lindsey Mertz was recognized for breaking the program assists record last week, the senior setter had another one of her quintessential stellar matches, finishing with 45 assists, two kills and five digs. With Mertz directing the offense, Hillsdale hit .228 for the match and finished with 50 kills to Ashland's 41, the difference in an otherwise close match.
With the victory over the Eagles, Hillsdale improves to 19-3 overall and 10-0 in G-MAC play. The win gives the Chargers breathing room in the race for the best overall record in the G-MAC and the top seed in the season-ending tournament, with Hillsdale now holding a two game lead over Ashland, the South Division leader, and Findlay, the second-place team in the North Division, with six matches left in the regular season.
Hillsdale looks to continue its strong recent play with a match at 1 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, against visiting Tiffin. The Dragons are in the thick of the race for the last spot in the G-MAC tournament and will be hungry to pull the upset and bolster their chances.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop
