For a top seed, the Hillsdale College women's volleyball team faced a tougher test than usual in the opening round, taking on the only team to hand them a regular season conference loss in eighth-seeded Tiffin on Tuesday night.

Although the competition was stiffer than usual for a 1-8 quarterfinal, the Chargers had little trouble navigating past the Dragons in a 25-23, 25-15, 25-22 victory that moves Hillsdale into the G-MAC Semifinal round.

Hillsdale dominated the match at the net with 51 kills to Tiffin's 37 and a .322 hitting percentage, overwhelming the Dragons' vaunted block with hard-hit balls from every angle. Although Tiffin fought hard to keep their season alive, the Chargers were rarely in real peril, leading almost wire-to-wire in set one until a late rally, and seizing control in set three with a 6-0 run trailing 11-10 that gave Hillsdale a lead it would never relinquish.

As befitting a postseason showdown, some of Hillsdale's biggest stars had vintage matches to help the Chargers to victory. Senior Marilyn Popplewell led with 14 kills on a solid .344 hitting percentage and just missed a double-double with nine digs, while fellow senior Lauren Passaglia hit a mind-blowing .769 with 11 kills, 20 assists and two service aces as well.

The play of Hillsdale's middle hitters was a big difference in the match. Senior Maizie Brown was electric with 10 kills, three total blocks and two service aces on an impressive .471 hitting, and when she came out junior Adi Sysum didn't drop off at all, with seven kills on .545 hitting and two solo blocks as well. Freshman Caroline Lanicek had a solid night with five kills as well, while Amanda Hilliker led the Chargers defensively with 11 digs and Josie TeSlaa chipped in 23 assists.

The victory improves Hillsdale to 22-3 on the season, and keeps the Chargers' hopes of an eighth-straight G-MAC Tourney title alive. As the top seed in the tournament, Hillsdale will host both the semifinal and final rounds on Friday and Saturday, beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. in a semifinal match against fourth-seeded Findlay, who swept Cedarville on Tuesday to advance. It will be the third meeting of the season between the Chargers and Oilers, with Hillsdale taking both earlier matches, the first in four sets and the second in three.

Upsets on the other side of the bracket mean sixth-seeded Walsh will play seventh-seeded Ohio Dominican on the other side of the bracket at 7:30 p.m. for a spot in the final. The championship match will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday between the two teams advancing from the semifinal rounds on Friday.