Hillsdale 3, Indianapolis 1


November 20, 2011 - It was fitting.

It was fitting that the Hillsdale College volleyball team would have to overcome its nemesis to try and win its first regional championship.

It was fitting, that one point away from that championship, that the team's All-American, record-setting outside hitter, would clinch the title with a devastating kill.

It was fitting that, in its third time hosting the NCAA Division II regional tournament, the Chargers got to hoist the trophy in front of their home fans.

The 2011 Hillsdale College volleyball team won the school's first-ever NCAA Division II regional championship in any sport Sunday afternoon, earning a 3-1 victory over the University of Indianapolis.

The Chargers now advance to the NCAA Elite Eight and will play Wheeling-Jesuit in the national quarterfinals on Thursday, Dec. 1 at a site yet to be determined.

Hillsdale won an epic first set by a score of 33-31, setting the appropriate tone for an unforgettable day. Hillsdale went up 2-0 with a 25-21 win in the second set, but the resilient Greyhounds pulled out a 25-22 win in set three.

The Chargers wrapped up the championship with a 25-19 set-four win, sending the more than 700 fans in attendance into a celebrating frenzy.

The Greyhounds have traditionally been one of the toughest teams to beat in the country, with their tenacity and defensive prowess. UIndy had also bounced Hillsdale in its three previous regional tournament appearances, in 2007, 2009 and 2010. But on this day, the team had no answer for the power and determination of Ashlee Crowder.

The Daktronics Midwest Regional Player of the Year, Crowder took over the match in the end, scoring three of the team's last four points. She finished the match with 24 kills with a .346 hitting percentage. She recovered from a slow start to overwhelm the Greyhounds. Crowder delivered 10 kills in the fourth set, one night after delivering nine in the final set in the semifinals versus Northern Kentucky.

Crowder was named to the All-Tournament Team, along with teammates Morgan Podkul, Clara Leutheuser and Apryl Schmucker. Fitting, that Crowder would also break the school's career record for kills in the same match in which the team would achieve unprecedented levels of success.

Podkul led the team's defense with a consistent, accurate passing match. She led the team with a season-high 28 digs. No more fitting time for her career-high in her speciality stat to come than in the regional final.

Leutheuser teamed up with middle hitter teammate Lauren Grover for a dominating match at the net. Leutheuser had 13 kills, a .385 hitting percentage, and six block assists. It was fitting that Hillsdale, a team among the best blocking teams in the nation, outblocked Indianapolis 14-6 in the match.

Schmucker delivered 55 assists and was able to find open spaces in the Greyhound defense to put her teammates in great position to make kills. She also had six digs and three kills, and fittingly, was an easy choice for the All-Tournament Team.

Grover added 12 kills, three solo blocks and five block assists to the championship performance. Sophomore Caitlin Kopmeyer had eight kills, three aces, three block assists and 15 digs.