In a match with potential NCAA Tournament qualifying implications down the road, the 20th-ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team was at its best when it mattered most.
After splitting the first four sets against a tough Davenport squad, Hillsdale controlled the fifth set from start to finish to take a hard-earned 27-29, 25-9, 19-25, 15-9 victory over a top Midwest Regional opponent at home on Tuesday.
The Chargers hit .333 in the final set while holding the Panthers to just .174 at the net, finishing with nine kills and just one attack error. Sophomore Marilyn Popplewell had five of those nine kills and five of her team-high 17 in the fifth set, a clutch performance that helped the Chargers close out the match, while sophomore Maizie Brown added three kills as well.
Tuesday's match was characterized by big momentum swings. The Chargers and Panthers went back and forth in set one, with 18 ties and eight lead changes, before Davenport finally pulled out a narrow 29-27 victory.
The second set was all Hillsdale, as the Chargers jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back, rolling over Davenport to even up the match. That momentum carried over to the third set, where Hillsdale led from nearly start to finish to take a 2-1 advantage.
A determined Davenport squad came out on fire in set four, taking an early 13-7 advantage and using that early control to take an easy victory and force the deciding fifth set.
Fresh off being named the MVP of Hillsdale's home invitational over the weekend, Popplewell continued her strong recent run, hitting .375 with 17 kills, five digs and two block assists to lead the Chargers. Karoline Shelton chipped in a 13 kill, 14 dig double-double, Brown chipped in eight kills, two aces and five block assists, and senior Linnea Larson added eight kills and seven block assists as well.
Defensively, Alli Wiese led the Chargers with 26 digs and two aces and played increasingly well as the match wore on, keeping several points alive in the fifth set to set up Charger scores.
Senior Audrey Riley chipped in 15 digs as well, as did setter Lauren Passaglia, who finished another strong outing with 16 digs, 38 assists and a team-high three aces.
The win is a big one for Hillsdale, as Davenport entered the match 7-1 and looking like a potential NCAA Tournament team down the road. Pulling out the victory over the Panthers should be a big resume boost that could help the Chargers either make the tournament or improve their seeding at the end of the year.
Hillsdale (7-2) next opens up its Great Midwest Athletic Conference schedule this weekend, with a trip to Lake Erie on Saturday at 1 p.m., and then a match at Ursuline at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan