The Hillsdale College women’s volleyball team went 2-0 for the second weekend in a row.
The Chargers traveled to Canton, Ohio to play against GLIAC newcomers Malone University on Friday, Sept. 28 and Walsh University, Saturday, Sept. 29.
Head coach Chris Gravel said the team welcomed both into the conference as the Chargers leap-frogged Malone in the conference standings.
Friday, the volleyball team faced the Malone Pioneers and won 25–20, 25–22, 24–26 and 25–22. Freshman Sam Siddall said the team really struggled with execution and communication in the third set; however, they quickly changed their mindset to win the fourth set.
“We are still struggling with a sense of urgency,” Gravel said. “We became a little relaxed, which is a death sentence. We need to keep pushing and stay 100 percent focused.”
During the game, Gravel said Malone continually hammered the ball, but junior Caitlin Kopmeyer responded with 14 digs against the Pioneers. She also had 16 kills.
“We just can’t expect a team to fall over because we win a set,” sophomore Alexis Waugh said. “We need to go out and finish the job.”
Senior Lauren Grover, junior Bekah Draves, and freshman Emily Wolfert each had nine kills. Junior Sydney Lenhart and Waugh set for a combined 44 assists. Waugh also had four service aces.
The next day the team played against the Walsh Cavaliers and swept their opponents 25–13, 25–23, and 25–19.
Gravel said the team became more relaxed at 20 points but was able to push through for the win.
Kopmeyer finished Saturday’s match with 13 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Grover had a total of seven kills, one solo block, and four block assists. Lenhart had 22 assists against the Cavaliers.
Draves also ended the weekend strong with six kills and a .462 hitting percentage. Freshman Melissa Owen delivered 12 digs in her second start as libero. Wolfert had a total of nine kills in the match.
After starting conference play with a 1–7 record, the Chargers have come back to win five of the last seven games. This coming weekend the Chargers face Wayne State University and Findlay University at home.
“This coming week, we are playing teams who are at the same level as us and practice is going to be very important to secure a win,” Alexis Waugh said.
