In a critical match for Hillsdale's hopes of contending for the G-MAC North Division crown, the Chargers volleyball team held off rival Findlay in a hard-fought road contest that went the distance on Friday night.

An Oilers victory would have given Findlay a massive three-match edge over the Chargers in the standings, but Hillsdale's victory means they sit just a match back of Findlay as the race for the North Division title approaches the halfway point.

Hillsdale had to overcome a rough start, as Findlay came out hitting .432 with 18 kills in set one to blast the Chargers off the court and go up 1-0 in the match with a 25-17 victory.

The Chargers raised their game defensively in sets two and three, holding Findlay below .100 in both sets while forcing the Oilers into 15 attack errors. Trailing 18-17 in set two, Hillsdale closed the set on a 8-1 run to take the set 25-19 and even up the match. Senior Molly Kennedy contributed three kills and teamed up with Taylor Brownsword on a block to score four of Hillsdale's eight points in that critical run.

Defense played a huge role in Hillsdale's 25-21 third set win to go up 2-1 in the match. The Chargers opened up a 12-7 lead thanks to three consecutive blocks, with Kennedy involved in all three, and never trailed again in the set. 

Findlay found its footing offensively in set four, hitting .300 with 15 kills to force a deciding set five with a 25-20 victory. The Chargers were too much for Findlay in set five, however. Back-to-back kills by Caroline Lanicek early set the tone for the Chargers. Trailing 7-6, Hillsdale reeled off six straight points to pull away, using excellent defense to extend points and force the Oilers into three critical attack errors. The Chargers closed out the match with a 15-9 set five victory.

Efficiency was the name of the game for the Chargers in the victory. Hillsdale finished with just three more kills than Findlay but hit .227 to the Oilers' .192, while also holding the edge in blocks (eight to five)  to eke out a narrow victory on the road. Findlay's big hitters, Hannah Miller and Stephanie Smith, finished with a combined 34 kills but also 16 attack errors in a productive but inefficient night for the Oilers' offense, thanks in no small part to Hillsdale's defensive efforts.

The Chargers went after the Oilers offensively with a balanced attack, with four players contributing double digit kills. Freshman Taylor Brownsword led the way with 16 kills and played a major role in jump-starting Hillsdale's offense in the first and second sets. Caroline Lanicek added 13 kills and five total blocks, while Ellie Fles and Taylor Cook each chipped in 11 kills as well. Kennedy fell just short of giving the Chargers another double-digit kill contributor with nine kills on .643 hitting, and added six total blocks as well.

Hillsdale also got major contributions up and down the lineup as well. Libero Chloe Pierce paced the Chargers with 31 digs, but Madison Peal also added 15 digs for the Hillsdale and fellow back-row players Hannah Baker and Ella Byrum each chipped 12 as well. Setter Grace Drake added 10 digs and had a career-best night as a setter with 53 assists to help the Chargers get the win.

Hillsdale improves to 8-7 overall, 4-3 in the G-MAC with the victory and will play again tomorrow at 2 p.m. on the road against Tiffin. The Dragons are 1-13 on the year but have played a tough schedule and are entering the match on a high note after picking up their first victory of the season against Northwood on Friday night. The Chargers haven't won in Tiffin since 2023, having lost to the Dragons on the road each of the last two years, and will have to be vigilant to avoid a letdown again tomorrow.