Volleyball team steamrolls past Wayne State in home opener, 3-0
Blocking, balance key Hillsdale's win
Hillsdale 3, Wayne State 0
September 7, 2010 - The temperature in the gym resembled summer, but the sharpness of the Hillsdale College volleyball team looked more like early November.
Displaying outstanding execution and blocking, particularly in the first two sets, Hillsdale got off to a good start in conference play Tuesday night, sweeping Wayne State University 3-0 before nearly 400 people at Hillsdale's Jesse Philips Arena.
Hillsdale, ranked 24th in the nation, is now 4-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play, The team stays home this weekend, hosting Ashland University at noon Saturday, and Lake Erie College at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Chargers produced 13 total blocks in the match, many of those coming in the first two sets when the team dominated the Warriors to the tune of 25-10 and 25-10. Wayne State led much of the way in the third set, and had set point, a 24-22 lead on the Chargers. But Hillsdale stormed back, scoring five of the final six points of the set to clinch the match, 27-25.
Blocking is the first line of defense for any team, and front-row players Clara Leutheuser, Amanda Geelhoed, Lauren Grover and Ashlee Crowder combined for 20 block assists between the four of them. Libero Sydney Dow was also active defensively with 18 digs, averaging an impressive six per set.
Offensively, setter Apryl Schmucker did an excellent job of ball distribution, contributing 33 assists while getting many people involved in the offense. Four players had 10 or more attempts, and Crowder's 11 kills led the team. Grover hit .625 and had five kills, and Leutheuser had seven kills with a .294 attack percentage.
The team's three active freshmen all got to play. Setter Sydney Lenhart (pictured) had four assists in her one set played. Caitlin Kopmeyer played two of the three sets, and had six kills, two service aces and seven digs. Bekah Draves was a perfect 2-for-2 on kills to attack attempts.
Senior Amanda Bigney had a productive match with nine kills, while junior Rachel VanderWall saw her first action in nearly two full years, playing in one set. VanderWall missed some of the 2008 and all of the 2009 seasons with an injury, but returned in a victorious performance Tuesday night.
September 7, 2010 - The temperature in the gym resembled summer, but the sharpness of the Hillsdale College volleyball team looked more like early November.
Displaying outstanding execution and blocking, particularly in the first two sets, Hillsdale got off to a good start in conference play Tuesday night, sweeping Wayne State University 3-0 before nearly 400 people at Hillsdale's Jesse Philips Arena.
Hillsdale, ranked 24th in the nation, is now 4-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference play, The team stays home this weekend, hosting Ashland University at noon Saturday, and Lake Erie College at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Chargers produced 13 total blocks in the match, many of those coming in the first two sets when the team dominated the Warriors to the tune of 25-10 and 25-10. Wayne State led much of the way in the third set, and had set point, a 24-22 lead on the Chargers. But Hillsdale stormed back, scoring five of the final six points of the set to clinch the match, 27-25.
Blocking is the first line of defense for any team, and front-row players Clara Leutheuser, Amanda Geelhoed, Lauren Grover and Ashlee Crowder combined for 20 block assists between the four of them. Libero Sydney Dow was also active defensively with 18 digs, averaging an impressive six per set.
Offensively, setter Apryl Schmucker did an excellent job of ball distribution, contributing 33 assists while getting many people involved in the offense. Four players had 10 or more attempts, and Crowder's 11 kills led the team. Grover hit .625 and had five kills, and Leutheuser had seven kills with a .294 attack percentage.
The team's three active freshmen all got to play. Setter Sydney Lenhart (pictured) had four assists in her one set played. Caitlin Kopmeyer played two of the three sets, and had six kills, two service aces and seven digs. Bekah Draves was a perfect 2-for-2 on kills to attack attempts.
Senior Amanda Bigney had a productive match with nine kills, while junior Rachel VanderWall saw her first action in nearly two full years, playing in one set. VanderWall missed some of the 2008 and all of the 2009 seasons with an injury, but returned in a victorious performance Tuesday night.
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MI
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