September 3, 2010 - On the first weekend of the 2010 season, the #20 Hillsdale College volleyball team went 3-1 at the Ferris State University Tournament.

The Chargers opened the season with a decisive 3-0 win over Mercyhurst College Friday morning. Later in the day Friday, Hillsdale lost a 3-1 decision to 18th-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato.

Saturday, the Chargers blazed through their opponents, first Lock Haven (3-1 Saturday morning) and St. Cloud State (3-0 Saturday afternoon).

Hillsdale is 3-1 entering GLIAC play, which begins with the team's home opener Tuesday night against Wayne State University starting at 7 p.m.

Very few of the matches played at the tournament had official statistics taken for them, so official numbers on all four matches will be forthcoming in the next couple of days.

Junior Apryl Schmucker had 71 assists between the two matches, while junior Clara Leutheuser had nine total blocks in the two matches.

In the season-opening win over the Lakers, junior Ashlee Crowder led the offense with 12 kills, hitting an impressive .430. Senior Amanda Bigney was on fire, getting eight kills with no errors, while Leutheuser added five kills.

Senior Sydney Dow led a balanced defensive effort with 13 digs, while Schmucker and junior Brogan Wells each contributed seven.

Crowder, Bigney and Leutheuser each had double-digit kills against the Mavericks, picking up 15, 10 and 10, respectively. Freshman Caitlin Kopmeyer, who is expected to be a major contributor in her rookie season, had six kills with a .380 attack percentage, and had three digs. Schmucker had six kills, with no errors on eight attempts and added five digs.