The Hillsdale College volleyball team had one of its best hitting performances in recent memory to dispatch visiting Ursuline in three sets on Saturday.
The Chargers finished with 37 kills and just five attack errors to hit an astounding .464 for the match -- Hillsdale's best hitting percentage since posting .478 in a win over Walsh on Nov. 3, 2018 -- in a 25-7, 25-10, 25-13 victory.
Making the performance even more impressive was just how many different players were involved for the Chargers offensively. Hillsdale's entire dressed roster played in the match and 10 different players recorded at least one kill, while the Chargers rotated between three different setters.
Sophomore Marilyn Popplewell led Hillsdale with nine kills on .600 hitting and also added two service aces, while fellow sophomore Maizie Brown chipped in five kills on .833 hitting as well.
Freshman Emory Braswell and sophomore Lauren Passaglia each chipped in four kills for the Chargers.
Hillsdale backed up excellent hitting with strong serving as well. The Chargers finished with nine aces and many more times didn't allow Ursuline to get a clean return and set up their offense, creating a multitude of overpass opportunities.
Sophomore libero Alli Wiese finished with four aces to lead the Chargers, and now has 17 in Hillsdale's last four matches as she's developing into a potent service weapon for the Chargers. Wiese also led Hillsdale defensively with 12 digs.
On top of her four kills, Passaglia finished with two service aces as well and was one of the three players splitting time at setter, finishing with 13 assists on the night. Freshman Josie TeSlaa also played well in spot action as a setter, finishing with 12 assists of her own.
With the win, Hillsdale improves to 20-6 overall, and reaches the 20-win threshhold for the sixth consecutive season. Hillsdale is now 12-2 overall in G-MAC play as well, and the Chargers are tied with Findlay for the North Division lead as Hillsdale prepares for back-to-back matches with the Oilers to determine the crown next weekend, beginning with a home match against Findlay on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan