erence did not have a strong weekend at the 2012 Mizuno GLIAC / GLVC Crossover Tournament, the Hillsdale College women’s volleyball team went 3-0.
Head Coach Chris Gravel said the tournament gives a prediction of who from the region will be able to make a run for the national title. He also said although the GLIAC lost 20 – 28, the competition was equal between the two conferences.
This is the third weekend in a row that the Chargers have had a clean sweep. The weekend started on Thursday as the team left to compete at the Great Lakes Center in Aurora, Ill., and their first match was on Friday against William Jewell, the 8th seed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).
Junior Caitlin Kopmeyer led the team with six service aces against the Cardinals. Senior Lauren Grover delivered 11 kills, sophomore Kat Carpenter had four blocks and freshman Bailey Linder led the team with 14 digs. Hillsdale won the match 3 – 0.
“It is always nice to beat a team in three,” Kopmeyer said. “We kept our sense of urgency throughout, even with them coming back a little bit.”
The Chargers then faced the fourth-ranked team in the GLVC, Rockhurst University, and won 3 – 1 against the Hawks. Freshman Emily Wolfert led the team with 17 kills and three service aces. Grover had a total of 12 kills, four solo blocks and two block-assists. Lindner also had a strong match with 13 digs, as she remained at libero for the second weekend.
“We know that we need to come out ready to play,” Kopmeyer said. “We know that everyone is gunning for us this year and if we come out flat, which we did against S&T, we need to be able pull ourselves together. No team is going to give us the win, we have to fight for it.”
Kopmeyer was referring to Hillsdale’s weekend finale, a 3 – 1 victory over Missouri S&T. The team lost the first set 17 – 25 to the Miners. They then came back to win the next three sets 25 – 15, 25 – 23, and 25 – 20.
Both Kopmeyer and Wolfert led the team in kills with an individual total of 14. Grover had three solo blocks, four block assists and a .571 hitting percentage. Both freshman Hayley Booms and Wolfert delivered one service ace each.
“We are a team that can take a punch,” Gravel said. “We saw some of the best teams in the region lose a set and then fall apart. With our tough schedule at the start of our season, we were able to come together and persevere.”
Gravel said the Chargers were one of only three teams in the GLIAC to win all three matches in the challenge. Kopmeyer said that the team learned a lot from the first part of the season, including knowing how to pick themselves back up from a lost, which is something that most teams have not really experienced yet.
“We know how to lose,” Kopmeyer said. “But now we know how to win because we learned how to pick ourselves up. Teams like Northwood that really have not lost have trouble with this concept, and was seen this weekend when they went 1 – 2.”
Kopmeyer was recognized for All-Tournament and before the team left for the tournament, Grover was ranked 5th in the nation for individual blocks. The team also received national recognition by being ranked 4th for blocking.
“We do not really focus on those things,” Grover said. “It wasn’t until I received a tweet or text from a friend that I even knew about it; whenever someone on the team is recognized for something, the individual realizes that it is because of the team success.”
The weekend of October 5-6, the Chargers faced Wayne State University and Findlay University. Although the team went to five sets for both matches, they were able to pull out victories in the end.
Against Wayne State, the Chargers lost the first set 25 – 27. Grover said Wayne State had been ranked ahead of them, but the Chargers were able to show why no one should underestimate them, as they came back to win the match 3 – 2.
“Whenever we lose the first set it is a wake-up call,” Wolfert said. “It was great being able to give the team (Wayne State) their first lost.”
Grover also said both Wayne State and Findlay’s head coaches are known to be a little hot-headed. This was seen on the Oct. 6 game against Findlay when the coach gave up the second set match point.
“I don’t know if he was trying to ice me,” Grover said. “However, he knew the score and was willing to take the risk of getting a red card by arguing with the referee.”
The score was tied at 23 when a player on Findlay’s team was called for a double contact. Possession changed as the head coach for Findlay disagreed with the call. As Grover stood ready to serve he continued to argue with the official and received a yellow card, which was followed by a red card. The Chargers won the match 3 – 2.
“We just really want to win,” Booms said. “And once we have that in mind, it just comes naturally.”
The team will be on the road again this weekend facing Saginaw Valley University and Lake Superior State University.
