The 20th-ranked Hillsdale College women's volleyball team began its quest for a sixth-straight Great Midwest Athletic Conference crown in impressive fashion on Saturday, sweeping past host Lake Erie in dominant fashion to kick off conference play.

The Chargers set the tone early with a 25-10 first set victory, racking up 14 kills and hitting .333 while holding Lake Erie to a -.029 hitting percentage. That set the tone for the day, as the Chargers hit .283 for the contest while holding Lake Erie to just a .018 percentage while on the attack in a 25-10, 25-14, 25-19 victory.

Thanks to a strong all-around showing, Hillsdale was able to spread playing time around and get everyone dressed some time on the court in the victory. Senior Karoline Shelton was still the all-around leader for the Chargers, with eight kills and 12 digs to pace Hillsdale in both categories, but the Chargers also got kills from 11 different players from the victory, including six each from sophomore Lauren Passaglia and Marilyn Popplewell.

In the back row, Alli Wiese finished with 10 digs and a team-leading two service aces for Hillsdale, while senior Madeline Zenas and sophomore Sydney Sahr each chipped in two solo blocks for the Chargers. 

Four different primary setters combined to rack up 29 assists for Hillsdale in the victory, with Passaglia and senior Audrey Riley each chipping in 10. 

Hillsdale is now 8-2 overall, 1-0 in G-MAC play and finishes up its weekend road trip to Northeast Ohio with a 2 p.m. contest against Ursuline on Sunday.

Photo by Isabella Sheehan