In the always-loaded NCAA Division II Midwest Volleyball Regional, wins never come easily -- a fact that's been true for over a decade.
But while sixth-seeded Grand Valley St. was a worthy challenger, in the end the Lakers were no match for a veteran and determined Hillsdale College squad that swept past GVSU, 26-24, 25-19, 25-17.
The third-seeded Chargers picked up strength as the match wore on and dominated at the net, finishing with 46 kills to the Lakers' 32 and a .246 hitting percentage to GVSU's .076.
Neither team was able to pick up much of an advantage in the match's first set, with the largest lead for either squad sitting at just four points. Hillsdale took a 24-21 edge late, only to see GVSU run off three straight points to even the set at 24 apiece. The Chargers quickly recovered, however, with Marilyn Popplewell recording the set-sealing kill to give Hillsdale a 1-0 lead.
With the Chargers now holding a critical advantage, Hillsdale held off GVSU's comeback attempts in the second and third sets, pulling away late in both to seal the match. Up just 17-16 in the second set, Hillsdale reeled off five consecutive points, aided by a kill and a service ace from junior Karoline Shelton, to seize control. In the third set, the Chargers scored seven of the final nine points to put the match away.
Shelton had another big match for the Chargers, finishing with 13 kills and 14 digs for another double-double, and also recording two service aces. Senior Allyssa Van Wienen also chipped in 11 kills, four digs and a service ace, freshman Marilyn Popplewell added seven kills in a strong performance off the bench, and freshman Maizie Brown chipped in six kills and three total blocks.
Defensively, Alli Wiese led the Chargers with 21 digs. Senior setter Lindsey Mertz had another vintage performance for Hillsdale in an NCAA tournament match, dishing out assists on 41 of the Chargers' 46 kills and also chipping in nine digs and two kills of her own.
Hillsdale (28-4) advances to the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal round for the second-straight tournament and will face a familiar foe in second-seeded Michigan Tech, which needed five sets to dispatch seventh-seeded Wayne State in a thrilling match earlier in the day. The Chargers played the Huskies in the semifinal round of the last NCAA Tournament they played in in 2019, beating Michigan Tech in four sets to advance to the regional final round. The two teams also met in the Midwest Regional Crossover in Hammond, Indiana on Oct. 16, with Michigan Tech winning 3-0 over Hillsdale in that match to move ahead of the Chargers in the regional rankings.
The semifinal match will take place on Friday, Dec. 3 at 5 p.m. at regional host Ferris State University's Jim Wink Arena, with the winner advancing to play for a Midwest Regional title on Saturday evening.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22