Feeding off of an energetic home crowd and a vengeful spirit, the No. 3 Hillsdale College volleyball team played one of its best all-around games of the season, powering to a 3-0 sweep over the No. 6 Saginaw Valley State University Cardinals last night at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The victory advances Hillsdale to the GLIAC tournament semifinals which will be hosted by Ferris State on Saturday. The Chargers will face the No. 2 Findlay Oilers at 5:30 p.m.After the Cardinals handed Hillsdale its first home loss of the season on Oct. 10, the Chargers have been itching for revenge. Delivering revenge in the postseason only made it sweeter.“This win feels better than a regular-season win,” head coach Chris Gravel said. “They’ve been waiting for this match for a while, and they felt like that earlier home match got away from them. Saginaw is a great team. You have to work your butt off to get the win.”Junior middle hitter Erin Holsinger expressed her team’s overwhelming excitement after the victory.“We’re on such an emotional high right now,” Holsinger said. “We were all ready for it. We wanted to get them back and leave no doubt.”More than 700 fans packed into Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena to watch the match. The bleachers were stuffed with Hillsdale students, fans, and families. Saginaw Valley fans also made a good showing, but couldn’t counter the roaring Hillsdale chants.
The Chargers channeled the home gym’s excitement in set one and came out energized. Hillsdale jumped to a 7-2 start then maintained around a five-point cushion for the remainder of the set.
Holsinger was an offensive machine in set one, slamming four of her seven kills and three of her seven blocks. Holsinger, the GLIAC leader in blocks, remained a powerhouse in the front row for the rest of the match. A double block by freshman outside hitter Kara Vyletel and senior middle hitter Emily Wolfert secured the Chargers’ first set win, 25-20.
The Cardinals came out a bit stronger in set two, keeping a tight score in the beginning of the set. But the Chargers took control again, turning on their powerful offense and aggressive serving. The Chargers served four aces in the second set alone.
With an ace serve by freshman setter Taylor Bennett, a kill by senior right side hitter Haylee Booms, and an ace by sophomore defensive specialist Brittany Jandasek, the Chargers sealed a 24-16 win and a 2-0 lead.
The Cardinals didn’t go down without a fight, and in set three they pushed to keep their season alive. Even as Saginaw fought to close in on Hillsdale’s lead, the Chargers kept their cool.
“Our team play is what did it tonight,” Gravel said. “They were cool under pressure, and they took care of what they needed to take care of.”
The Cardinals chipped their way to just a two-point deficit, 22-20, as the Chargers found themselves three points away from victory. A kill by Holsinger and then back-to-back kills by Booms ended the Cardinals’ season.
Booms, who led the Charger offense with 12 kills and a .300 hitting percentage, said the team’s synergy was all-around improved compared to the last time Hillsdale took on the Cardinals.
“This time we played as a team,” Booms said. “We picked each other up after one person made a mistake the next person just came back and got a point for them.”
Holsinger said her team entered the game wanting to have fun, and that’s exactly what they did.
“We were just going out there with the goal to play for each other and enjoy every moment and really have fun,” Holsinger said. “Winning is the most fun you can have.”
Gravel said he wants his team to use this win to motivate them for Saturday.
“I said, ‘If you guys like that, there’s more of that to come.’ But it’s really up to them,” Gravel said. “Beating Saginaw is great for our confidence because they’re such a great team.”
Jandasek showed a tremendous defensive effort throughout the match, leading her team with 26 digs. Bennett and senior setter Marissa Owens combined for 33 assists to feed the Charger offense.
Last weekend the Chargers closed their regular season play with wins over Ashland, 3-1, and Lake Erie, 3-0. After one last winning weekend, the Chargers finished conference play with a 14-4 record in the GLIAC and a 22-6 record overall.
The Chargers are on an eight-game winning streak and last night’s victory marked Hillsdale’s first postseason win since 2011.
