The Hillsdale College volleyball team hadn't beaten its G-MAC Tournament semifinal opponent, Findlay, in two previous meetings this season. Then, in Friday's match, the Chargers fell into big deficits in all three sets against the hot-starting Oilers.
But those challenges were no problem for a determined Hillsdale squad who didn't want to see an 18-match G-MAC Tournament winning streak end on its home floor. The Chargers battled back in all three sets to sweep the Oilers 25-22, 25-16, 27-25, and get some revenge for those two regular season losses while advancing to their seventh straight G-MAC Tournament final.
Hillsdale trailed 12-6 to Findlay in all three sets on Friday, and fell behind by as many as eight points in the third set after a 7-0 run by the Oilers. The Chargers, however, refused to be shaken or knocked off their game, chipping away at the lead and overtaking Findlay in all three sets. Trailing 17-13 in set 3, Hillsdale used a 6-1 run to take a 19-18 advantage thanks to four kills in seven points by senior Megan Kolp, then used another 5-1 run to pull ahead for good.
The Chargers flipped the script even harder in set two, outscoring the Oilers 15-2 down the stretch to turn a 14-10 deficit into a runaway victory. Then came an epic set 3 comeback, where Hillsdale was down four points as late as 22-18 to the Oilers before going on a 6-1 run to take a 24-23 lead. After Findlay fought off match point and took a 25-24 lead of their own, the Chargers clinched the match with three straight kills, two by junior Maizie Brown.
The difference in the match for the Chargers was dominant net play, as Hillsdale finally got the better of Findlay in total kills (42 to 37) and hitting percentage (.200 to .140) after losing both categories to the Oilers in their regular season losses. The Chargers also were the better team in blocking, with 11 to Findlay's six, and at the service line, with seven service aces and four service errors to Findlay's four and eight respectively.
But on a night with several lengthy rallies and strong play by both sides, ultimately what was most important for the Chargers was their will. Hillsdale had several opportunities to break and refused to yield to the Oilers, digging in an finding a way back into the set. That fortitude is why Hillsdale will be playing for a G-MAC title on Saturday afternoon.
Kolp led the Chargers offensively with 12 kills and five block assists, and junior Marilyn Popplewell finished with an 11 kill, 15 dig double double and three service aces as well. Maizie Brown added nine kills and a team-high seven block assists as well for Hillsdale.
Defensively, junior Amanda Hilliker had an outstanding night with 17 digs. Hilliker saw significant action as the Oilers were determined to avoid hitting at Hillsdale libero and G-MAC Player of the Year Alli Wiese, and the Byron Center, Michigan native proved to be up to the challenge. Wiese also had a solid night with 11 digs and two service aces as well.
Chargers setter Lauren Passaglia finished with an impressive 36 assists in just three sets, as well as five digs and two kills.
Hillsdale improves to 26-6 on the season, and will look to add to its shared G-MAC regular season championship with a seventh consecutive G-MAC Tournament title in the championship match on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Chargers will face seventh-seeded Ohio Dominican, which pulled back-to-back upsets of second-seeded Ashland and sixth-seeded Tiffin to make a Cinderella run to the final for the first time in program history.
Photo by Scott Galvin