The Hillsdale volleyball team returned home last weekend, sweeping two conference opponents as sophomore libero Alli Wiese earned G-MAC North Division Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season.
The Chargers played in Hillsdale against the Lake Erie Storm and Ursuline Arrows on Oct. 21 and 22 after eight consecutive away matches. The pair of victories leaves them with a record of 20-6, 12-2 in conference.
“It was nice to see everyone get a chance to play this past weekend,” assistant coach Allyssa Van Wienen said. “We thought everyone did a nice job stepping up and representing the program well.”
Wiese in particular was recognized for this effort. Her defensive award came after a strong week of play as she posted 63 digs for the week, 5.72 per set. She now has 526 total digs on the season, 98 shy of the program record, which she set last year. This high level of play carried over to the offense as well, where Wiese collected 12 service aces for the week, bringing her season total to 47.
“It was a great weekend,” Wiese said. “It was super fun to be back at home and especially nice that we could get two Charger victories.”
The team began the weekend on Friday night with a 25-15, 25-16, 25-22 sweep of the Storm. The Chargers concluded the match with 39 digs, 37 kills, and an impressive 12 service aces in comparison to Lake Erie’s three.
“It’s encouraging to see our whole roster on the court,” Van Wienen said. “It was nice to see that we could put anyone out on the court and they could be successful.”
The day after this match, the team faced off against the Ursuline Arrows, securing another sweep with a final score of 25-7, 25-10, 25-13. The Chargers put up strong numbers in this match, hitting .464 with only five attack errors. This was Hillsdale’s highest hitting percentage since 2018.
“I felt good about the Ursuline game,” Wiese said. “The numbers aren’t the most important thing. I am just happy that our team worked together well and was able to be successful. The team’s success as a whole is my number one goal and I will do everything I can to accomplish that.”
The Saturday matchup also coincided with Alumnae Day for the Chargers.
“Our Alumnae day on Saturday also went really well,” Van Wienen said. “It was lots of fun to have everybody back and to even get some of them playing after the match.”
The Chargers now look to prepare for two matches against the Findlay Oilers this weekend. The first is an Oct. 28 home matchup, and the second will take place at Findlay on Oct. 29. Hillsdale is currently tied with Findlay for first place in the G-MAC North Division, making these matches crucial for both teams.
“We are very excited to be in the position to possibly win another divisional title,” Van Wienen said. “Findlay is a tough opponent. They have a few of the best players in the conference so we are looking forward to seeing how we match up. Additionally, we play them on back-to-back days which is a challenge we rarely get to face.”
Wiese said that she is looking forward to the challenge.
“Heading into this weekend I am super excited,” Wiese said. “Findlay is a huge rival who has also had a successful season. The opportunity to play them twice is super fun. They are a very good team and it will be a great weekend of volleyball.”
On Friday night, the team will also be conducting its Toys for Tots drive, and they encourage attendees to bring donations for kids in need. Donors will receive a free ticket to the match for every toy given. Match time is currently set for 7 p.m. and the first 500 people to show up will receive a free Charger Rally Towel.
“We are tied for first place in our division, which means that every match from here on out is very important,” Van Wienen said. “There is much to learn from our upcoming opponents, so we are taking the time to study them and enter each match well-prepared for what may come.”
