Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Members of the Charger volleyball team encourage one another. The Chargers play at 2:30 p.m. today against Grand Valley State University.
For the second year in a row and for only the second time in team history the women’s volleyball team will compete in the NCAA Division II Regional tournament. The Chargers were able to move up from ninth place in the Great Lakes Region to seventh, just inside the top eight qualifying mark.
Hillsdale was propelled into the top eight with their victory over Findlay in the first round of the GLIAC Conference tournament last Wednesday.
“It’s huge,” head coach Chris Gravel said. “We knew we had to win at Findlay to move on, and we were able to come out with a big win. This gives us new life, so hopefully we can take advantage of it.”
The team received the news just one day after they had lost to Grand Valley in the second round of the conference tournament 3-0. The Chargers lost all three games with scores of 24-30, 11-30 and 28-30.
Hillsdale was led by junior Taryn Rudland with seven kills. Freshman Stephanie Booms had 19 assists and junior Audra VanderMolen was one of three Chargers with double digit digs with 14. Both Booms and VanderMolen’s totals were team highs.
“Grand Valley was not a good showing for us,” Gravel said. “We did not play well, and they did. We struggled and were not on the top of our game. It left a tough taste in our mouth, and it was not how we wanted to end our season. Thankfully, we have another week of practice to get that taste out.”
With their loss to the Lakers, the team was forced to sit and wait to see if they would play for at least one more week or if their season was over.
“It was a really wierd place to wait in,” senior Sumer Way said. “We didn’t know if we should be preparing for the season to be over or if we should be mentally preparing for another week of practice and then more great matches. Every time a phone rang I jumped and my heart started racing as I waited to find out if we were in. Needless to say there was some cheering, a little noise and lots of excitement.”
The team received even more good news last week as Rudland was named First-Team All-GLIAC. Junior Katherine Jones was a Second-Team honors, while Booms was named honorable mention All-GLIAC.
“This award means a ton to me,” Rudland said. “It shows that my hard work has paid off and, of course, the team’s because without the perfect pass and set I wouldn’t be able to get a kill or a block. Good job team.” The Chargers will play their first regional game against second ranked Rockhurst University today at 2:30 p.m. at Grand Valley.
The team hopes to redeem themselves from last week’s loss to Grand Valley and extend their season a little longer.
“We’re going to get down and get tough,” Gravel said. “We’re just hoping to play like a team possessed and outwork them mentally.”
“Winning this week is definitely possible,” Way said. “It’s just time to play.”