The Collegian

Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Andrew Dodson

Media Credit: Andrew Dodson

The tension builds as the top three volleyball teams in the GLIAC South division prepare to play in Jesse Phillips Arena this weekend. The Chargers are locked in a tie for first with Northwood University at 8-6, while Wayne State University begins the week in second place at 7-7.

Both visiting teams have beaten Hillsdale once on the road this season, but the Chargers are riding a six-match winning streak and normally increase their level of play at home. The team ending the weekend in first place will be rewarded with a home game in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament coming this Wednesday.

The matchup Friday night is the more important of the two. Since Northwood has already beaten Hillsdale, they would have the tiebreaker should the teams end up with the same record in conference play.

Saturday, Wayne State takes their best shot at the Chargers. They were also one of the teams to take advantage of Hillsdale's mid-season struggles; the Chargers committed 15 service errors in the loss earlier this season.

Senior setter Stephanie Booms is selling the hype of the upcoming matches.

"It's a big weekend for us," she said. "We get to have two home matches, a chance to get some revenge and possibly win the GLIAC South all in the same weekend."

Everything looks primed and ready to go for the Chargers. They continued their strong play in a win over the University of Findlay University Halloween night. Nearly 500 fans showed up for the dominant performance, many in full costume. The intense atmosphere seemed to distract Findlay players, who were defeated in three sets by scores of 25-13, 25-20 and 25-17. Once again, freshman Ashlee Crowder led the Chargers with 15 kills and a .414 attack percentage. Booms had 34 assists in the match, while sophomore Sydney Dow finished with 19 digs on the back line.

The key to the Chargers recent turnaround may be linked to the emergence of freshman Apryl Schmucker. Although she was recruited by Hillsdale as a setter, head coach Chris Gravel has modified her role on the team. She is often on the court simultaneously with Booms, which allows either of them to play defense or set the hitters up for kills.

"Apryl has turned into a good serve-receive passer," Gravel said. "When Stephanie has to play defense, Apryl gets the set. We still have a primary setter in there running the offense, and we never miss a beat. A lot of teams try to have a hitter set the ball, and there is a huge difference."

Schmucker describes herself as a "versatile" player, and she backed it up on the court on Friday. She finished with two kills, five assists, six digs and two service aces, while also contributing on two block assists. Keeping her in the rotation also solves the substitution problem, which hindered the Chargers earlier this season. Instead of substituting offense for defense, Gravel can simply leave her in the game.

There is no doubt the team is excited about the opportunity they have this weekend. Sophomore Sydney Dow summed up their approach in three words:

"It's payback time."

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