For the second time this season, the Hillsdale College volleyball team was involved in a match that went the full five sets.
And for the second time, the 17th-ranked Chargers took care of business when it counted, controlling the final set from start to finish to secure a 14-25, 25-13, 25-16, 23-25, 15-10 win over host Davenport and run their match winning streak to 12 straight.
In the do-or-die set, Hillsdale jumped to an early 4-1 lead and never looked back, leading by as many as seven points thanks to four kills and a block from senior middle hitter Alyssa Van Wienen in the set. Davenport made a late push to cut the deficit to four, but by then the Chargers were just one point away and sophomore middle hitter Megan Kolp ended the match with a kill.
Van Wienen led the Chargers with an excellent performance, finishing with 17 kills on a .483 hitting percentage and chipping in five total blocks. Junior Karoline Shelton also had a huge night for Hillsdale, chipping in 17 kills of her own, as well as 14 digs and three blocks for her 10th double-double of the season.
Going to five sets was a fitting outcome for a match that swung wildly back and forth between the Chargers and Panthers throughout the contest. Davenport jumped on Hillsdale in the first set, as the Chargers committed 10 attack errors in one of their worst offensive sets of the season.
In sets 2 and 3, it was Hillsdale's turn to dominate, buoyed by big performances off the bench from Kolp and freshman outside hitter Amy Buffini. The Chargers combined for 17 kills and a hitting percentage north of .330 to roll to easy victories. Davenport, meanwhile, lost its rhythm offensively, combining for 16 attack errors and a hitting percentage of roughly .040 in the two set losses.
Set four was much tighter, as both teams raised their game with the match on the line. Hillsdale hit. 293 with 16 kills and held 19-17 and 22-21 leads late in the set, but couldn't close out the determined Panthers, who matched the Chargers with 16 kills, hit .429 and scored four of the set's final five points to force the decisive fifth set.
Along with Van Wienen and Shelton, Kolp and Buffini also had big nights for the Chargers. Kolp finished with eight kills on .375 hitting and four total blocks, including two solo blocks, while Buffini chipped in eight kills on .353 hitting as well. Freshman middle hitter Maizie Brown also made important contributions for the Chargers with eight kills and two blocks of her own, as the Chargers' offensive variety kept Davenport off balance throughout the contest.
Senior setter Lindsey Mertz had another strong contest for the Chargers, dishing out 48 assists and chipping in nine digs, while freshman libero Alli Wiese led the Chargers defensively with 27 digs.
Now 14-2 overall, Hillsdale can't afford to rest long after this victory with two big G-MAC tests at home awaiting the Chargers this weekend. Hillsdale plays a dangerous and desperate Cedarville team on Friday at 7 p.m. for its next match, then takes on G-MAC South title contender Ohio Dominican at 1 p.m. on Saturday, looking to remain unbeaten in G-MAC play as the conference slate hits its halfway point.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22