Hillsdale College volleyball team advances to first-ever regional final with sweep of Northern Kentucky University
Chargers to host Indianapolis at 4:00 Sunday
Hillsdale 3, Northern Kentucky 0
November 19, 2011 - Playing one of the most competitive and well-played volleyball matches in the history of Jesse Philips Arena, the Hillsdale College volleyball team advanced to its first-ever Midwest Regional Final thanks to an exhilarating 3-0 win over a talented Northern Kentucky University team Saturday night.
The Chargers, 29-2 overall, will face the University of Indianapolis for the regional championship at 4 p.m. Sunday.
The match vs. NKU featured some incredible rallies, digs, blocks and kills by both teams. The Norse used their speed and athleticism to its fullest potential, constantly countering Hillsdale's power and superior size.
But as the match wore on, Hillsdale was able to match the defensive execution of NKU, and used the volume of the home crowd to help propel it to a huge win.
Hillsdale won the sets by scores of 26-24, 25-21 and 25-18. The exclamation point in the match was, fittingly, provided by GLIAC MVP Ashlee Crowder, who hit the ball about as hard as she could, bringing the crowd jumping to its feet, taking the noise level to unprecedented levels.
Hillsdale was able to overcome eight service errors in the first set by hitting .440, and rallying for a 26-24 win to get up 1-0 in the match.
The Chargers hit .396 as a team, with 48 kills and only six errors the entire match. That's a testament to the team's high level of execution, in a very intense and pressure-filled environment.
Through the first two sets, Crowder had a total of six kills. But she took over in the third set, delivering an otherworldly nine kills to finish with a team-high 15 for the match.
Sophomore Caitlin Kopmeyer and junior Lauren Grover had nine kills apiece, and had a grand total of one hitting error between them.
Senior Clara Leutheuser dominated in the middle with seven kills, two solo blocks and four block assists. The Chargers had a height advantage on the Norse, and nowhere was that more evident than in Leutheuser's outstanding play.
Senior Apryl Schmucker was a big part of a superior team defensive effort for Hillsdale, and she had three kills, 39 assists and seven digs.
Senior Morgan Podkul also came up with some crowd-raising digs, leading the team with 17 in the match.
The Greyhounds, the champions of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, have eliminated the Chargers from the postseason in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
November 19, 2011 - Playing one of the most competitive and well-played volleyball matches in the history of Jesse Philips Arena, the Hillsdale College volleyball team advanced to its first-ever Midwest Regional Final thanks to an exhilarating 3-0 win over a talented Northern Kentucky University team Saturday night.
The Chargers, 29-2 overall, will face the University of Indianapolis for the regional championship at 4 p.m. Sunday.
The match vs. NKU featured some incredible rallies, digs, blocks and kills by both teams. The Norse used their speed and athleticism to its fullest potential, constantly countering Hillsdale's power and superior size.
But as the match wore on, Hillsdale was able to match the defensive execution of NKU, and used the volume of the home crowd to help propel it to a huge win.
Hillsdale won the sets by scores of 26-24, 25-21 and 25-18. The exclamation point in the match was, fittingly, provided by GLIAC MVP Ashlee Crowder, who hit the ball about as hard as she could, bringing the crowd jumping to its feet, taking the noise level to unprecedented levels.
Hillsdale was able to overcome eight service errors in the first set by hitting .440, and rallying for a 26-24 win to get up 1-0 in the match.
The Chargers hit .396 as a team, with 48 kills and only six errors the entire match. That's a testament to the team's high level of execution, in a very intense and pressure-filled environment.
Through the first two sets, Crowder had a total of six kills. But she took over in the third set, delivering an otherworldly nine kills to finish with a team-high 15 for the match.
Sophomore Caitlin Kopmeyer and junior Lauren Grover had nine kills apiece, and had a grand total of one hitting error between them.
Senior Clara Leutheuser dominated in the middle with seven kills, two solo blocks and four block assists. The Chargers had a height advantage on the Norse, and nowhere was that more evident than in Leutheuser's outstanding play.
Senior Apryl Schmucker was a big part of a superior team defensive effort for Hillsdale, and she had three kills, 39 assists and seven digs.
Senior Morgan Podkul also came up with some crowd-raising digs, leading the team with 17 in the match.
The Greyhounds, the champions of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, have eliminated the Chargers from the postseason in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
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MI
49242
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