The Hillsdale College volleyball team finished October with an 11-2 record in the month, sweeping Malone University and Walsh University on the road to wrap up the month. Against Malone, 14 players contributed at least one kill in a 25-22, 25-19, 25-22 victory.
“On this team, every player plays a role and must be prepared to capitalize on their opportunities when they are presented the chance,” Head Coach Chris Gravel said.
Senior Lindsey Mertz was given the G-MAC’s offensive Athlete of the Week award, her second of the season. The Chargers completed their sweep of the weekly awards as freshman Alli Wiese won defensive Athlete of the Week for the fourth time in her young career.
Sophomore Audrey Riley, Wiese, and senior Madie Schider combined for nine aces in the match, while sophomore Linnea Larson added seven kills. Freshman Maizie Brown led the team with 10 kills, also notching three blocks.
Mertz, sophomore Madeline Zenas, and freshman Lauren Passaglia each took one set and notched a combined 36 assists.
“It’s been awesome getting to learn from Lindsey,” Passaglia said. “She’s an amazing leader and wants to make everyone around her better. She’s done a great job of passing along all the knowledge she’s gained over the years.”
Gravel said there were times against Malone where the Chargers played below their expected performance level, but were able to pick up their play late to win the match.
“The end of each set, we were able to dig deep and really rely on our players coming off the bench to bring a new fire into the game and that was enough to carry us to a win each time,” Gravel said.
The Chargers then faced off against Walsh, who entered the match having won eight of its last nine G-MAC matches.
The Chargers also swept Walsh with a 25-13, 25-18, 25-21 victory. With this victory, the Chargers locked up a share of the G-MAC North Division title with a 22-4 overall record including a perfect 13-0 in conference play. This marked Hillsdale’s fifth straight conference title. The Chargers finished with 44 kills compared to Walsh’s 32.
Senior Allyssa Van Wienen sat out the match against Malone but returned against Walsh, ending with 11 kills, two service aces, and two blocks.
“Allyssa always draws a crowd of blockers in the front row allowing the other hitters to have minimal opposition,” Gravel said.
Junior outside hitter Karoline Shelton tallied her 14th double-double of the season, finishing with 12 kills and 20 digs in the match.
Having recently topped the historic mark of 1,000 career digs, Shelton now sits just 30 kills away from joining Cassandra Cole as the only Chargers in program history with more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
“Something that has been a key to mine and the team’s success is the intensity of our practices,” Shelton said. “Everyone is working for a starting spot each day and bringing their best game to practice which continues to make the whole team better.”
Gravel also said the intense practices have been a crucial part of this season.
“In practice, everybody has been playing so hard and really pushing each other to play their best every day so that we can be confident in anyone that represents our program on that game day,” Gravel said.
Senior Maddie Clark added 10 kills, while Wiese notched 16 digs.
Mertz finished this match with 28 assists, four kills, seven digs, and two blocks.
“It’s super evident to anyone watching that Lindsey is great under pressure and is able to keep her cool which is definitely something that I will take with me in years to come,” Passaglia said.
Passaglia has played 10 matches in her freshman year, and said she didn’t know what kind of playing time to expect in her first year.
“Early on in the season the coach told me that he could see me making an impact on this team as early as this year and his confidence in me definitely elevated my game,” Passaglia said.
The Chargers now have a chance to clinch the North Division Title outright at home against the University of Findlay Oilers, who sit second in the G-MAC North with a 14-7 (10-3) record.
“Findlay is always going to play their best game against us, so the key is to focus on the things we can do right on our side, one play at a time,” Gravel said. “The more things we can do right and the more disciplined we can be, the better chances of winning we have.”
Shelton said the match being at home helps the team because they won’t have to travel on a bus, as well as keep their normal routine.
“We can watch film in the team room before a match, and we are able to have food that our bodies are used to,” Shelton said. “We also have a great fan section that always shows out which really helps keep the momentum on our side of the net.”
