Hillsdale College Volleyball Team Advances to NCAA Semifinals With 3-0 sweep of Wheeling-Jesuit
Release courtesy of the Hillsdale College Sports Information Department
Click here to watch the Semifinal game against Cal State San Bernardino live at 10:30 p.m.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The program's first-ever volleyball match in the month of December was one to remember for the Hillsdale College Chargers. Playing a tough, gritty match, Hillsdale advanced to its first-ever NCAA semifinal with a 3-0 win over Wheeling-Jesuit Thursday night at Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State-San Bernardino.
Click here for NCAA D-II Volleyball Championship interactive bracket
Hillsdale, now 31-2 on the season, faces the winner of the Cal
State-San Bernardino-Flagler match at 10:30 p.m. EST Friday.
The Chargers won the sets by scores of 25-20, 27-25 and 25-23. The
match was as tightly played as the scores indicated.
The Cardinals came into the match with an excellent defensive game
plan, and forced Hillsdale into several long rallies, particularly
in the second and third sets of the match.
Playing in the Elite Eight for the first time, sime jitters for
both teams were understandable, but the Chargers found a way to
play through those, and score points when they absolutely needed
them. Leading the way was All-American middle hitter Clara
Leutheuser, who set the tone for the match with a dominant
performance in the first set.
Leutheuser, who has earned All-American honors three times in her
distinguished career, had five kills on five attempts with three
blocks in the opening set. She used her height, jumping ability,
anticipation and some spot-on sets from setter Apryl Schmucker to
spring Hillsdale to a 25-20 win in the first set.
Four kills from junior middle hitter Lauren Grover also
played a big part in the Chargers' opening-set win.
But in the second and third sets, the Cardinals anticipated
Hillsdale's offense more effectively, and turned Hillsdale's block
against itself. The Chargers maintained the lead most of the way in
the second set, but Wheeling-Jesuit used a close call on a tipped
ball to force a tie score, 24-24.
In the "extra time" of the second set, the Chargers never trailed.
Thanks in part to Hillsdale's high block, the Cardinals committed
two hitting errors in the set's final three points to clinch a 2-0
lead for Hillsdale.
The Cardinals cranked up the defense another notch in the third
set, and held a three-point lead on a couple of occasions.
A 6-0 run by Hillsdale turned a 13-10 deficit into a 16-13 lead,
and momentum seemed to be on the Chargers' side for good. Senior
Ashlee Crowder had two kills and two block assists in the 6-0
run.
But the Cardinals rallied yet again, tying the match six different
times, even taking a 23-22 lead at one point.
That's where Hillsdale's mental strength and resiliency kicked in.
Crowder's 15th kill of the match tied it up at 23 apiece. Another
attack error by the Cardinals gave the Chargers a one-point lead,
and a cross-court kill by sophomore Caitlin Komeyer finished the
job.
Crowder led the team with 15 kills, and she had four digs and four
block assists.
Leutheuser enjoyed a huge match with 10 kills and six block
assists. She seemed to be in the middle of all the
momemtum-building rallies the Chargers had throughout the
night.
Kopmeyer grew stronger and stronger through the match, and
finished with 10 kills, eight digs and two service aces.
Defensively, senior libero Morgan Podkul did an excellent job on
the back end of the court for Hillsdale, picking up 15 digs to lead
the team. Senior setter Apryl Schmucker had 36 assists and five
digs for Hillsdale.
Grover was a big factor in the first and third sets of the match,
where she picked up all eight of her kills and a solo block.
