The 22nd ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team added to a number of impressive streaks and passed its first real test in G-MAC play with a sweep of visiting Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday.
The Chargers' 25-15, 27-25, 25-22 victory over the Trojans marked Hillsdale's seventh straight victory and sixth straight sweep of an opponent, while also running the Chargers' winning streak in G-MAC matches to 77 straight.
Despite that, it didn't come easily as the Chargers had to fight to get past a solid Trevecca squad that's been one of the top teams in the G-MAC for the last few seasons.
The battle was particularly fierce in the second set, as Trevecca jumped out to a 5-0 lead early looking to get back in the match after Hillsdale took the first set in dominant fashion. The Trojans controlled the set from there, leading by as many as seven points and taking a 19-13 edge deep into the set.
But Hillsdale refused to lay down, and found a groove both offensively and defensively late. The Chargers went on a 7-2 run that included four kills by Marilyn Popplewell to cut the deficit to two, then, trailing 24-21, fought off three set points thanks to a rare kill on an over ball by libero Alli Wiese, as well as an ace by the sophomore, to tie the set at 24.
Hillsdale had to fight off another set point after a kill by Trevecca's Ellie Buffler gave the Trojans a 25-24 edge, but the Chargers recorded the final three points of the set, including the clinching kill by Maizie Brown, to take a 27-25 victory.
The Chargers had another tight battle in the third set, but by that point were rolling offensively. 17 kills from the Chargers offense in the final set helped Hillsdale hold on for a 25-22 victory and the sweep.
Bouncing back from a quiet night on Friday, Popplewell had a huge performance for the Chargers against the Trojans, finishing with 12 kills on a .346 hitting percentage and also adding 10 digs for a double-double. Karoline Shelton chipped in nine kills and nine digs as well for the Chargers, and Maizie Brown added seven kills and three block assists.
Senior Madeline Zenas was huge offensively in the third set as well for the Chargers, recording six kills to help Hillsdale pull out the victory.
Defensively, Wiese had a virtuoso night as the libero, recording 21 digs and helping keep her team alive during several long rallies in the second set. Setter Lauren Passaglia also had a huge outing, recording 38 assists to help direct the Charger attack, and chipping in 14 digs as well.
Hillsdale improves to 13-2 overall, and 6-0 in G-MAC play, remaining tied with Findlay atop the North Division. The Chargers have a quick turnaround to another tough match on Tuesday, as Hillsdale takes on a Northwood squad looking to bounce back from its first G-MAC loss this afternoon in a 7 p.m. match in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
Photo by Anthony Lupi