Saturday was a potential trap for the Hillsdale College volleyball team, coming off the high of clinching the outright G-MAC title the previous night and with little at stake in the regular season finale.

The Chargers' opponent, Malone, proved to be dangerous as well, hanging tough despite their 5-24 record in a scrappy, determined effort to try and pull the upset. 

Despite the headwinds, however, Hillsdale remained unfazed, ultimately taking care of business and finishing off the Pioneers in a 25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23 victory, their ninth straight.

The Chargers played deep into their bench throughout the match, and struggled at times to get on the same page, with an uncharacteristic 31 attack errors. The Chargers' senior class, however, stepped up when it counted to get Hillsdale across the finish line. After a sensational match last night in a win over Walsh, senior libero Amanda Hilliker turned in another great performance, with 25 digs to lead Hillsdale defensively, while Marilyn Popplewell had her second double-double with a team high 13 kills and 22 digs as well on the night. 

Two more seniors also stepped up for the Chargers, as Lauren Passaglia chipped in 11 kills, 23 assists, four service aces, three block assists and seven digs in an all-around stellar performance, and Maizie Brown added seven kills and three total blocks as well.

Chloe Pierce chipped in 16 digs for the Chargers, Josie TeSlaa added 19 assists, two service aces and five digs, and Bethany Johnson chipped in four kills on .429 hitting as well.

Hillsdale wraps up the regular season 21-3 overall, 14-1 in the G-MAC, winning the regular season title by a full two matches over Northwood and Ashland. The Chargers now aim to bring home an eighth-straight G-MAC Tournament title and improve their seeding in the NCAA Midwest Regional in a few weeks. As the No. 1 seed, Hillsdale will play every match in the G-MAC tourney at home next week, starting with a quarterfinal contest, likely against Tiffin, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Dragons handed Hillsdale its only conference loss in a five-setter on the road in October, but the Chargers got revenge in a sweep last weekend and will be motivated to take the rubber match in three days.