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Championship Bracket
HILLSDALE, Mich. – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship semifinals proceeded on Friday night at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena with four teams looking to secure their spot in the championship match.
In the end, it was the reigning North and South divisional champions that came out on top as the final four teams left in the bracket were narrowed down to two.
No. 1 North Division Hillsdale defeated No. 3 North Division seed Trevecca Nazarene for a 3-0 win while in the nightcap, No. 1 South Division Ashland held off No. 3 South Division Ohio Dominican, 3-1.
The Chargers and Eagles will battle for championship supremacy on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET with the AQ in the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional on the line.
Hillsdale and Trevecca Nazarene had the first contest as the Trojans were making their first conference tournament semifinal appearance since 2015. The first two sets were very close and the second set ended on an unfortunate mistimed pass as TNU was looking to extend set point.
First team all-conference middle blocker Austyn Baldwin was tough up front as she led TNU with nine kills and hit .571.
Hillsdale’s defense was tough under Great Midwest Coach of the Year Chris Gravel as the Trojans hit .030. All-conference first teamer Karoline Shelton produced a 10 kill, 10 dig double-double and first team all-conference middle blocker Allyssa Van Wienen was virtually unstoppable with 12 kills on 17 swings.
The setters in this one did their part as both Lindsey Mertz (25 assists) and Chloee McDaniel (23 assists) were named to the all-conference team that came out on Thursday. Reigning offensive player of the week Maddie Clark also had six kills as a key piece of the rotation.
Ashland’s first year with the conference continues to be a successful journey as head coach Kevin Foeman pushed his program after dropping the first set to a tough Ohio Dominican squad that ousted Findlay in the quarterfinals.
Great Midwest Player of the Year Erin Krupar lived up to the billing with a match high 22 kills. She also had 15 digs defensively while all-conference middle Lexi Lombardo added nine on efficient .391 hitting. Heidi Fauze posted 16 kills and freshman all-conference right side GraceAnn Hartman added seven.
The rallies were fierce as both teams had some incredible digs. First team all-conference libero Katie Thompson posted 28 of those while Kelsey Shoup led the Panthers with 24. Setters Zoey Peck (45 assists) and Carleigh Deitsch (38 assists) were each all-conference performers and set the tone for their programs.
First team all-conference middle blocker Emilee Fecht led ODU with 12 kills while all-conference outside Kamryn Maxwell had 10 also in double-figures.