Thanks to two wins over the weekend, the Chargers propelled themselves to a four-way tie for 6th place in the 16-team GLIAC and secured a good chance of making the postseason tournament.
Hillsdale played with poise against Walsh College on Saturday, earning a 3-1 win. On Friday, Hillsdale beat the Malone University Pioneers, a team that entered the game with a 9-5 season record compared to the Chargers’ 7-6 record.
After honoring the three senior Chargers— something that’s done annually at the last home game of the season — the team warmed up quickly in the first set against the Walsh Cavaliers. The Cavaliers gained a two-point lead but lost it when freshman Jessie Kopmeyer served a six-point run with one ace. Kopmeyer has proved to be a clutch server this season.
“In practice, we have put a lot of emphasis on having solid routines for different aspects of the game, including serving,” Kopmeyer said. “We serve a lot every day and coach has placed a big emphasis on making sure we all have aggressive college serves that we can consistently bring into games.”
Senior Kat Vael, who has played sparingly this season due to serious back injuries, made four kills in two sets on Saturday.
“Playing in Saturday’s game was just a tremendous blessing,” Vael said. “Getting to represent [my team] and contribute on the court for senior night was a gift.”
The team procured a season block-high against Walsh. By the end of the four sets, Hillsdale had racked up 17 blocks compared to Walsh’s seven. Sophomore Erin Holsinger was responsible for nearly half of the team total, finishing the game with eight blocks.
Junior Haylee Booms walked away with eight kills and a .727 hitting percentage— the highest of the entire season. According to head coach Chris Gravel, any hitting percentage above .300 is noteworthy. To strengthen her hitting, Booms has done extra reps after practices.
“Some of the team will come in after dinner a few nights a week, and we’ll work on whatever area of our game needs improvement,” Booms said.
She also links her stellar performances to her teammates.
“The ball is contacted by the defense and setter before me, so their success sets me up nicely,” she said “Also, the success of our middles and outsides [hitters] during games makes me look good because the other team’s blockers will stick with them, giving me a single block most of the time.”
Though the Chargers’ block total for its Friday game against Malone wasn’t nearly as high as Saturday’s, any one of the more than 500 people who filled the stands on Halloween could see how effectively the Chargers’ front row stopped Malone’s offense. Senior Lindsay Kostrzewa got the block-high for the night at six blocks, assisting on another four.
Malone came in with a superior conference record, but the Pioneers didn’t play like the superior team. The Chargers consistently threw Malone “out of system,” meaning that, due to Hillsdale’s hard hits and well-placed serves, the Pioneers played a mostly reactionary game.
“Thursday we did not have a great practice by any means,” Kostrzewa said, reflecting on what it was that gave the Chargers their edge on Friday. “I think in a way this helped give us a greater sense of urgency going into the weekend. Every win is crucial at this point.”
Against Malone, Hillsdale won its first 3-0 victory in six weeks and achieved its best hitting percentage in six weeks.
“I think our success this weekend was due to our focus on hitting different shots in practice,” Booms said. “We’ve been running a lot of different plays at the start of practice, and I think it paid off this weekend.
The Chargers are now 10-12 overall and 9-7 in conference play, tied for sixth with Malone, Ashland, and Ohio Dominican in the GLIAC. Because of last Friday’s game, however, a tiebreaker game with the Pioneers may be needed to determine which team qualifies for the postseason tournament.
