Hillsdale 3, Grand Valley State 0

September 25, 2011 - One day after seeing its 27-match conference winning streak snapped, the Hillsdale College volleyball team started a new one, on the home court of one of its most intense rivals.

The Chargers played a sound all-around match in defeating 20th-ranked Grand Valley State 3-0 Sunday afternoon in Allendale. Hillsdale, ranked 10th in the nation, is now 10-2 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Chargers' next four matches will be at home, starting Friday night versus Wayne State.

Bouncing back after a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Ferris State Saturday, the Chargers played with great focus and executed at a high level in all aspects of the game. As a team, Hillsdale hit .283 for the match and didn't allow a single Laker double digits in kills.

Hillsdale won the sets by scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-21.

All three sets were closely played, as the scores would indicate. In the first set, an 8-3 run by the Chargers gave them some breathing room after it was tied up at 15. Set two featured more momentum swings, the first of which started when Hillsdale jumped out to a 13-8 lead. The Lakers responded with a 12-4 run to take a 20-17 lead. The Lakers led 22-20, but the Chargers rallied to win the set with a 5-1 run, keyed by two kills from senior Ashlee Crowder, and two attack errors by the Lakers.

The third set was a back-and-forth contest, with neither team able to build a lead of more than two points, after the Lakers jumped out to an 8-2 lead. Hillsdale stormed back to tie it 12-12, and the teams traded points from there. Then, one of the Chargers' savvy veterans stepped up to make big plays.

Senior Amanda Geelhoed (pictured) had a kill and a block assist to score the final two points of the set for the Chargers. The teams were tied at 21, but thanks in part to Geelhoed, the Chargers finished off the Lakers with a 4-0 run.

Crowder led Hillsdale with 14 kills, and had four digs. Junior middle hitter Lauren Grover put together her third straight strong match, nailing down 11 kills while hitting .625 for the match. Senior Clara Leutheuser matched Grover's 11 kills and had two service aces and three block assists.

Senior Apryl Schmucker had 43 assists and four digs in the sweep, and sophomore Caitlin Kopmeyer led a balanced defensive effort with 10 digs.

Dating back to the 2009 regular season, the Chargers have now beaten the Lakers four straight times. Sunday's match was the first meeting between the schools since an epic five-set match in the 2010 GLIAC Tournament Championship Match. Hillsdale last won in Allendale on Oct. 7, 2006 in a match that also ended in a 3-0 decision for the Chargers.