September 19, 2008 – For the first time since 2003, the Northwood University volleyball team earned a win over Hillsdale College Friday night.

The Chargers, the GLIAC leader in team hitting percentage, committed an uncharacteristic number of attack errors in losing a 3-2 decision to the Timberwolves in Midland. Hillsdale is 11-3 overall and 3-1 in the GLIAC, and will visit Wayne State University at 1 p.m. Saturday.

This was Hillsdale’s third GLIAC loss since the start of the 2006 season. And all three of those losses have come by scores of 3-2, and all three have come on the road.

The climactic fifth set was very evenly played by both teams, with neither leading by more than two points most of the way. The Timberwolves won the fifth set, 15-10, shaking loose of a tightly played set that had a 9-8 score at one point, with neither team leading by more than one point in the set most of the way.

Freshman Ashlee Crowder finished with a career-high 15 kills for the Chargers. Fellow freshman Clara Leutheuser also had a career-high with 13 kills and seven total blocks. Senior setter Stephanie Booms set two season-highs with 47 assists and 14 digs.

The undoing for the Chargers was an uncharacteristic number of attack errors in the match. The team came into play this weekend as the GLIAC’s leader in team hitting percentage, but Northwood held Hillsdale to a .179 attack percentage for the match, along with 28 total attack errors.

Hillsdale grinded out a 25-22 win in the fourth set. One play after being inserted into the lineup, Rachel VanderWall teamed with Clara Leutheuser on the set-winning block.

The Timberwolves led the entire third set, but the Chargers closed to within 23-22 late in the set. But Northwood won the set with the final two points.

Sophomore Amanda Bigney played mostly in the final three sets of the match and had a season-high 12 kills. Seven of those kills came in the third set.

Northwood controlled the second set from the start, taking advantage of several Hillsdale hitting errors to win 25-17. The Chargers hit .000 (eight kills and eight attack errors) in the second set.

The Chargers squeaked out the win in the first set. Hillsdale was in full control of the set, leading 24-16. But the Timberwolves scored seven points in a row to pull within one point. A kill by Leutheuser finished off the set one win for the Chargers.

Sophomore Sydney Dow added 16 digs, while freshman Morgan Podkul had 10.

The Chargers had swept each of the past two matchups with the Timberwolves, and had won four in a row overall in the series.

Click on the link below for stats from Friday's match.

Box score