Ferris State 3, Hillsdale 0

September 24, 2011 - For the first time since Halloween of 2009, the Hillsdale College volleyball team lost a conference match.

A rested and motivated Ferris State team handed the Chargers a 3-0 defeat Saturday afternoon in Big Rapids. Hillsdale (9-2 overall, 6-1 GLIAC) completes this rugged road trip at 2 p.m. Sunday at Grand Valley State University. FSU improves to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the GLIAC with the win.

Ferris State won the sets by scores of 25-18, 28-26 and 25-20. The Bulldogs were clearly the fresher, more energetic team in the match, and executed very well throughout the match.

Ferris State outblocked Hillsdale 11-5 in the match, and had five more service aces than the Chargers. Hillsdale hit a season-low .148 for the match, and much of the credit for that should go to FSU's blocking.

Junior middle hitter Lauren Grover turned in a strong match for the Chargers, leading the team with 10 kills and two blocks. Sophomore Caitlin Kopmeyer contributed seven kills, while senior Morgan Podkul had 22 digs for the Chargers.

Hillsdale had won 27 straight conference matches, but has only defeated Ferris State in the regular season once since 2006. On Oct. 12, 2007, Ferris State ended another long conference winning streak by the Chargers, that one spanning 34 matches.