Hillsdale 3, Saginaw Valley State 2

September 23, 2011 - One down, two to go.

The Hillsdale College volleyball team was put to a severe test on the road Friday night, but passed with a 3-2 win over Saginaw Valley State University. The Chargers are now 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the GLIAC, and will face Ferris State University at 2:00 Saturday.

Hillsdale, ranked 10th in the nation, knew that this weekend would present a huge challenge, facing quality programs like SVSU, Ferris State and Grand Valley State on the road within a 48-hour span. The Cardinals showed the Chargers just how tough it can be, extending Hillsdale to a dramatic fifth set in their Friday night confrontation. But when you have an All-American middle hitter like Clara Leutheuser (pictured), your chances of passing road tests like this improve greatly.

Leutheuser had a monster match for Hillsdale, racking up a season-high 20 kills, along with five total blocks and a .586 hitting percentage to lead the way.

The Chargers committed 10 hitting errors in losing the first set 25-23. The team then executed much better in winning sets two and three by scores of 25-18 and 25-12. SVSU came out refocused in the fourth set, playing at a very high level, edging the Chargers 25-21. Hillsdale would break a 6-6 tie in the fifth set by scoring nine of the match's final 14 points to pull away with the 15-11 win.

Leutheuser delivered her 20th and final kill of the match to give Hillsdale a 14-11 lead. Sophomore Sydney Lenhart, who played in a career-high four sets in the match, delivered a service ace to clinch the match.

Junior middle hitter Lauren Grover gave the Chargers another dominant performance, registering 11 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Grover's role in the offense has grown this season, as has her productivity and efficiency. Grover and Leutheuser each had two solo blocks and three block assists in the match.

Senior Ashlee Crowder contributed 11 kills for Hillsdale, while sophomore Bekah Draves added six kills without a hitting error. Senior Amanda Geelhoed also went error-free in the match, with three kills.

Senior Brogan Wells achieved a new career-high with six service aces for Hillsdale. Senior Apryl Schmucker handed out 45 assists, and senior Morgan Podkul had 21 digs.