Great play in the clutch gives Hillsdale College volleyball team hard-earned 3-0 win over Ashland
Chargers come from behind late in two of three sets
Hillsdale 3, Ashland 0
September 11, 2010 - The final line score might read Hillsdale 3, Ashland 0, but the reality of Saturday afternoon's GLIAC volleyball match was anything but a one-sided sweep.
The Chargers had to come back from late deficits in each of the first two sets to edge the Eagles by scores of 28-26 and 27-25.
The Chargers closed out the match with an outstanding effort in the third set, winning 25-21.
Hillsdale, ranked 24th in the nation, is now 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC, and will wrap up this weekend's home stand by taking on Lake Erie College at 2 p.m. Sunday at home.
Ashland was coming off a tough five-set loss late Friday night at Findlay, but played with freshness and executed brilliantly to open the match. The Eagles led by as many as eight points (17-9) in the first set, and appeared ready to win that set after taking a 24-22 lead. But Hillsdale showed great mental toughness in coming back, scoring six of the final eight points of the set to squeak out a 28-26 victory.
Set two followed a similar pattern, with Ashland running its offense very efficiently. The Eagles led the second set 18-12, and was hitting better than .400 as a team throughout the set. But Hillsdale's comeback in the second set was led by junior outside hitter Ashlee Crowder, who was on target offensively.
Crowder had seven kills with no errors on 10 attempts in that second set, and accounted for five of Hillsdale's last 10 points in the 27-25 win. Ashland held 21-18 leads in each of the first two sets.
The Chargers were able to sustain the momentum they picked up in the second set to open up a big lead in the third set. The team raced out to a 10-5 lead, the only time in the match the team was able to establish a lead early in the set.
The Eagles rallied to get within one, 11-10, but Hillsdale responded with a 7-1 run to create an eight-point advantage. The Chargers' blocking improved in the third set, led by juniors Amanda Geelhoed, Clara Leutheuser and sophomore Lauren Grover. The team was able to score points off its block in the third set, unlike in the first two, and that was a big key to the team's third-set victory. Geelhoed, Grover and Leutheuser all finished with three block assists.
Crowder had one of the most efficient offensive matches of her career with 15 kills and a .452 attack percentage. She committed just one attack error in the entire match. Junior Apryl Schmucker dished out 29 assists, and had four service aces and three digs. Senior Sydney Dow led a balanced defensive effort by the team with 12 digs. Freshman Caitlin Kopmeyer had a career-best 10 digs for Hillsdale.
September 11, 2010 - The final line score might read Hillsdale 3, Ashland 0, but the reality of Saturday afternoon's GLIAC volleyball match was anything but a one-sided sweep.
The Chargers had to come back from late deficits in each of the first two sets to edge the Eagles by scores of 28-26 and 27-25.
The Chargers closed out the match with an outstanding effort in the third set, winning 25-21.Hillsdale, ranked 24th in the nation, is now 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC, and will wrap up this weekend's home stand by taking on Lake Erie College at 2 p.m. Sunday at home.
Ashland was coming off a tough five-set loss late Friday night at Findlay, but played with freshness and executed brilliantly to open the match. The Eagles led by as many as eight points (17-9) in the first set, and appeared ready to win that set after taking a 24-22 lead. But Hillsdale showed great mental toughness in coming back, scoring six of the final eight points of the set to squeak out a 28-26 victory.
Set two followed a similar pattern, with Ashland running its offense very efficiently. The Eagles led the second set 18-12, and was hitting better than .400 as a team throughout the set. But Hillsdale's comeback in the second set was led by junior outside hitter Ashlee Crowder, who was on target offensively.
Crowder had seven kills with no errors on 10 attempts in that second set, and accounted for five of Hillsdale's last 10 points in the 27-25 win. Ashland held 21-18 leads in each of the first two sets.
The Chargers were able to sustain the momentum they picked up in the second set to open up a big lead in the third set. The team raced out to a 10-5 lead, the only time in the match the team was able to establish a lead early in the set.
The Eagles rallied to get within one, 11-10, but Hillsdale responded with a 7-1 run to create an eight-point advantage. The Chargers' blocking improved in the third set, led by juniors Amanda Geelhoed, Clara Leutheuser and sophomore Lauren Grover. The team was able to score points off its block in the third set, unlike in the first two, and that was a big key to the team's third-set victory. Geelhoed, Grover and Leutheuser all finished with three block assists.
Crowder had one of the most efficient offensive matches of her career with 15 kills and a .452 attack percentage. She committed just one attack error in the entire match. Junior Apryl Schmucker dished out 29 assists, and had four service aces and three digs. Senior Sydney Dow led a balanced defensive effort by the team with 12 digs. Freshman Caitlin Kopmeyer had a career-best 10 digs for Hillsdale.
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