TAMPA, Fla. – The memorable NCAA Division II Championship run in the volleyball tournament bracket for Great Midwest Athletic Conference representative Hillsdale concluded on Thursday in the quarterfinals at the Bob Martinez Athletic Center.
The Chargers, ranked 16th nationally, were re-seeded by the national committee as fourth among all eight teams remaining in the national tournament as one of the regional champions crowned in the third round.
Hillsdale’s memorable postseason run ended at the hands of No. 5 seed Gannon in a 3-1 final with the set scores at 25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 16-25, in favor of the Knights, the Atlantic Region champions.
The Chargers won three consecutive matches over Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponents in the Midwest Regional that was played at Ferris State. Hillsdale was the No. 3 seed in the regional.
The Chargers finished their 2021 campaign with a 30-5 overall record with the program’s fifth consecutive conference tournament and regular season title while going 16-0 in the Great Midwest standings.
Hilsdale raced out to a 1-0 lead after grinding out the first-set victory while hitting .157 against a tough front line. Gannon found a successful formula against Hillsdale’s league-leading defense, and after hitting .098 in the opening frame, incrementally improved from .227 to .294 and finally, .333 to finish things out.
Gannon’s Lauren Sampson led all players with 21 kills and Hillsdale’s Karoline Shelton paced the Chargers with 17. Maizie Brown tied for the match-high total with four blocks and Lindsey Mertz guided the offense with 39 assists. Alli Wiese tallied 26 digs defensively
For the senior class under head coach Chris Gravel, their legacy has been left on the program and the conference after leaving it all on the court one final time.
The Chargers had previously faced the Knights from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) from the delayed spring season at the AVCA Division II tournament conducted in Dallas, Texas. Hillsdale had defeated Gannon two different times in the consolation pool, although unofficial per NCAA guidelines, with both matches going all the way to five sets.
Additional advancing teams from Thursday’s quarterfinals included No. 1 seed and site host Tampa (South Region), No. 2 Western Washington (West Region) and No. 3 Washburn (Central Region).
The Chargers staked claim to the conference’s very first regional championship trophy and national tournament quarterfinals appearance in 10 years of league history in the sport.