The Hillsdale College volleyball team couldn't keep pace with a red-hot hitting match by host Grand Valley State on Friday afternoon, falling to the Lakers in three sets.

GVSU, the 17th ranked team in the nation, hit a scorching .370 to take down the Chargers, with 42 kills to just eight attack errors. Hillsdale put up a solid fight at the next but couldn't match GVSU's efficiency, with 19 attack errors, as the Lakers pulled away in all three sets for a 25-17, 25-19, 25-17 victory.

Hillsdale's young players paced the attack, as sophomore Taylor Cook led the Chargers with 13 kills on .259 hitting, and freshman Taylor Brownsword chipped in nine kills on .292 hitting as well. Ellie Fles contributed four kills and two service aces from the middle for Hillsdale.

Senior libero Chloe Pierce led the Chargers defensively with 10 digs and Ella Byrum chipped in six as well. Grace Drake directed Hillsdale's attack with 26 assists and also finished second on the team in digs with seven and added a solo block as well.

Hillsdale (8-9, 4-4 G-MAC) will look to learn from this non-conference loss against one of the top teams in the Midwest Region, and carry those lessons into an important road match at Northwood tomorrow, Saturday, at 1 p.m. The Chargers are hoping to sweep the Timberwolves on the season and keep pressure on G-MAC North Division leader Findlay, which has a two match lead on Hillsdale in the standings entering the weekend.