GVSU had not lost since Sept. 25 since falling 3-0 against the Chargers, but the Lakers had ran off 17 consecutive wins before falling on Sunday afternoon. The Lakers are 23-6 on the season, while Hillsdale improves to 28-1 on the season and the Chargers have the longest winning streak in the country at 27 straight matches.
In the opening set, the Lakers jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead, scoring three straight points on a kill from freshman Stacey Catalano, an ace from sophomore Olivia Kohler, and a kill from sophomore Eno Umoh. Hillsdale rallied back to tie the score and take an 11-9 advantage before Grand Valley State tied the score at 13-13 and used a combined block from Catalano and senior Rebeccah Rapin to own a 14-13 advantage. HC then used a 6-1 run (including the set's longest point to make the score 16-15) to regain a 19-15 lead.
GVSU scored the next three points on a kill from senior Krysta Kornack, a combined block from Umoh and Kornack, and a kill from Umoh to cut the score to 19-18. Another Umoh kill and an ace from Kornack got the set to within a point at 21-20, prompting a Hillsdale timeout. The Lakers took the lead at 22-21 with a little bit of luck, as Catalano dug a Charger attack, the ball was sent back over the net, and Hillsdale was unable to play it, giving Catalano a dig and a kill on the same play. Another Umoh kill (her fourth of the set in six swings) made the score 23-21 and GVSU would close out the set moments later at 25-22 on a Rapin kill, putting the Lakers ahead, 1-0.
Two kills from Catalano and an ace from freshman Sacha Gill put GVSU ahead 3-0 to start the second set. Hillsdale would score the next four points and extend its advantage to 10-5 after a quick 4-0 run. The Chargers were beginning to pull away at that point, pushing their lead out to 16-8 midway through the set, before Grand Valley State scored eight consecutive points to tie the set at 16-16. Rapin had three kills and combined with Catalano for a block, while Gill also notched a service ace during the 8-0 spurt.
The Chargers then re-grouped and led 20-17 before scoring five of the last seven points of the set and closing out the frame with a 25-20 win. It took a strong offensive output from Hillsdale, who hit .302 with 18 kills during the frame. GVSU struggled after hitting .319 in the first set to connect at a .122 pace in the second stanza.
It was Hillsdale getting out to the quick start in the third set, opening up a 6-2 lead early on that forced head coach Deanne Scanlon to call a timeout. A Charger service error and a kill from Kornack put the score at 10-6 before Hillsdale used a 5-2 run to extend its lead to 15-8. Grand Valley State notched back-to-back combined blocks on a Whiddon/Umoh duo and another from Rapin and junior Courtney McCotter to cut the lead to 15-10. The Chargers rolled from there by scoring ten of the set's final 13 points to win the third frame, 25-13 and take a 2-1 lead in the match. GVSU recorded a negative hitting percentage (-.021, nine errors) in the third set.
Grand Valley State rebounded positively to begin the fourth set, opening up a 4-1 advantage to start the frame after a kill from Catalano. The Lakers would continue the opening surge by leading 8-2 on an ace from Catalano and a pair of Charger attack errors. Kornack put down a kill and then combined with Umoh for a double block to up the score to 10-2 early on in the set. Consecutive kills from Umoh and Rapin then pushed GVSU out to a 14-4 advantage.
Hillsdale used a 3-1 run to make the score 15-7, but Grand Valley State used a kill from Catalano and a combined block from Catalano and Rapin to lead by 10 points at 17-7. Another Umoh kill and a Charger error put the Lakers ahead 20-10, forcing a Hillsdale timeout. Kornack's kill and service ace were followed a few points later by two kills from Curtis, making the score 24-14. Rapin's kill ended the set at 25-14, forcing a 2-2 tie and a pivotal fifth set. GVSU hit well in the fourth set with a .286 attack clip, while holding the Chargers to a .000 percentage (five kills, five errors).
Hillsdale totaled the first two points of the fifth set before Rapin and Catalano tied the score on kills of their own. Curtis then put the Lakers ahead 4-2 on a kill and a service ace before the teams traded points and GVSU led 5-4. Grand Valley State jumped ahead 7-4 on kills from Catalano and Kornack, while another Catalano kill made the score 8-5 in the Lakers' favor. After a terrific play by Curtis just to keep the ball in play, Hillsdale's next attack was blocked by Umoh and Kornack, making the score 9-6.
The Chargers took control by scoring the next seven points to take a 13-10 advantage before GVSU recorded consecutive blocks by Whiddon/Umoh and Whiddon/Rapin to make the score 13-11. A kill from Rapin made the score 13-12 before Hillsdale scored the final two points on a pair of Laker attack errors, ending the set and match with a 15-12 win.
Rapin totaled a match-high 17 kills, while adding eight digs and five block assists, while Catalano recorded 20 digs and 16 kills, to go along with three block assists. Kornack supplied 11 kills, five digs, four block assists, and two service aces, while Umoh notched nine kills and seven block assists.
Gill picked up a match-high and career-high 28 digs, while Curtis tallied 18 digs, five kills, a block assist, and an ace. Senior setter Meghan Scanlon dished out 33 assists and added 13 digs, while Kohler provided 20 assists and 15 digs. Whiddon blocked five Hillsdale shots and added a pair of kills.
For the match, Grand Valley State hit .147 with 62 kills, while Hillsdale connected at a .163 mark with 55 kills. The Lakers totaled more blocks (13-10), digs (110-101), and service aces (7-3) than the Chargers. After the match, Rapin and Kornack were named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts over the three matches.
GVSU, ranked second in the Midwest Region entering the tournament, waits to see who it will play in next weekend's Midwest Regional Tournament, to be played at Hillsdale next weekend (Nov. 19-21). Stay tuned to gvsulakers.com for updates on the team's NCAA Tournament schedule.
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