The Chargers are on the road this weekend to play Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene. Courtesy | Reva Ludwig

The Hillsdale volleyball team played a full slate of games this past weekend, beating Ashland University and Ohio Dominican University in three sets apiece and falling to the University of Findlay in five Sunday.

Hillsdale shut down the Ashland Eagles Oct. 20, a team to which they fell in the regular season last year. The first set saw Hillsdale take a 25-13 victory, and the second set held the same outcome as the Chargers overcame the Eagles 25-17. Set three mirrored the first with Hillsdale winning 25-13, and ending the day with a 3-0 win.

Senior middle Hitter Megan Kolp led the team with nine kills in the three set shut out. Junior middle hitter Maizie Brown led the defense with three blocks. Junior defensive specialist Amanda Hilliker’s three aces helped the Chargers offensively.

“We showed up to the game focused on playing the match at our own pace, and that is exactly what we did,” said assistant coach Allyssa Van Wienen. “We served aggressively, passed the ball well, and ran our offense at a tempo dictated by us.”

The Chargers maintained their pace into Saturday, beating Ohio Dominican University in three sets at home. The win marked the 600th win for Chargers’ head coach Chris Gravel. The Panthers gained ground in each set but never took enough to overcome the Chargers’ offensive onslaught. Hillsdale took the first set 25-10 and the second set 25-15, outlasting the Panthers’ prowl in the third set and winning 25-20.

Two players led the Chargers’ attack against the Panthers at home Saturday. Junior outside hitter Marilyn Popplewell and Brown contributed eight kills each. Brown also led defensively with four blocks. Junior libero Alli Wiese kept the ball alive defensively for the Chargers, recording 19 digs and Popplewell’s five service aces urged on the Chargers’ offensive strike.

“Our serving stood out even more in our match against Ohio Dominican, and we were able to outlast them even when they made a run against us at the very end,” Van Wienen said.

The weekend ended in a competitive loss to the University of Findlay. The match went to five sets. Hillsdale dropped the first of them 28-30 and 21-25. They rallied in sets three and four, overcoming the Oilers in 25-20 and 25-14 victories, but Findlay clinched the match with a 15-9 win in the final set. 

The Chargers fought into the fifth set thanks to 17 kills from Popplewell and 33 digs from Wiese.

“Credit is due to Findlay, they played an exceptional match against us,” Van Wienen said. “But we are back in the gym working hard for an opportunity to bounce back against our opponents this weekend.”

The Chargers play again Oct. 27 at Kentucky Wesleyan College and Oct. 28 at Trevecca Nazarene University.