November 10, 2007 - The Hillsdale College volleyball team emphatically put aside a longering demon from last year's postseason Saturday afternoon.

Playing with purpose and power, the 11th-ranked Chargers defeated Ashland University 3-1 in the semifinals of the 2007 GLIAC Volleyball Tournament in Allendale. Hillsdale, now 26-6 on the season, will play in its first-ever championship match at 4 p.m. Sunday against the host Grand Valley State University Lakers.

Hillsdale rolled through the Eagles in the first two games, winning 30-24 and 30-25. Ashland came back to take game three 30-24, but the Chargers dominated the fourth game, never trailing en route to a 30-19 victory. Ashland was ranked 12th in the nation coming into the contest.

Now, the Chargers will face the No. 8 Lakers, who routed Northern Michigan 3-0 in the other semifinal. Grand Valley edged Hillsdale 3-2 when the two teams met in Allendale on Oct. 13. Hillsdale has just one win over GVSU since October of 1989, that coming on Oct. 7, 2006, when the Chargers swept the then-defending national champion Lakers in Alledale.

One year ago, Ashland handed Hillsdale its first loss of the 2006 season in the conference tournament semifinals. The Chargers made sure there would not be a repeat performance, and leading the way is Hillsdale's second straight GLIAC Player of the Year.

Senior Melissa Bartlett played perhaps her finest match in a Hillsdale uniform, leading all players with 23 kills and a career-high 31 sigs to go along with five block assists. It's the first time she's had 30 digs in a match since coming to Hillsdale, and she joins Taryn Rudland as the only Charger players to be named conference player of the year. Bartlett received the award in between the two semifinal matches.

The Chargers shut down the Eagles in the fourth game, limiting Ashland to a .053 hitting percentage as a team. Ashland hit .165 in the match, and had 13 fewer kills than the Chargers.

Sophomore Kittrick Smith, who was chosen Second Team All-GLIAC, had 14 kills for Hillsdale. Senior jen Pilot contributed 11 kills and four block assists, while junior setter Stephanie Booms had 56 assists, four service aces and 14 digs. Senior Megan Howard added 22 digs and two service aces, while freshman Sydney Dow had 12 digs and one ace.

Hillsdale has never won a GLIAC volleyball tournament title. If Hillsdale wins its Sunday match, it will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament. Although a postseason spot seems very likely for the Chargers, the team would go into the postseason with unbelievable confidence and momentum if it were to win the tournament. Ashland won the 2006 GLIAC volleyball tournament, while Grand Valley won the 2005 version.

Click on the link below for the box score, as well as the release of the 2007 GLIAC All-Conference volleyball teams.

Booms joined Bartlett on the First-Team, while Howard and Smith were on the Second Team. Junior Jamie Murray was named honorable mention All-GLIAC.

Box score

2007 GLIAC Volleyball All-Conference release