Charger Sports: Football travels to Kentucky Wesleyan, Volleyball beats Northwood
HILLSDALE — Last week, big offensive plays and stout defense helped the chargers defeat Missouri S&T on the road 17-10. Luke Keller threw a 76-yard touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa and they would hook up again on a 25 yard touchdown pass. S&T was held scoreless on three drives in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Now the Charger football team is 3-1 overall and they head to Kentucky Wesleyan for the first time in school history.
On the volleyball court, the Chargers outhit Northwood in a high-powered shootout to extend their G-MAC record to 7-0. The Chargers are 14-2 on the season, although they have a few tough matchups ahead.
Preview: Hillsdale at Kentucky Wesleyan
Although the Chargers and Panthers have both been in the G-MAC since 2017, due to scheduling quirks and the impact of the pandemic, Hillsdale will be traveling to Kentucky Wesleyan for the first time this Saturday.
The Panthers enter the game at just 1-3 overall, but comparative results for both teams with Lake Erie and Missouri S&T set this one up as a close, competitive contest despite the records and the series history between these two teams.
KWC is known for its high octane passing attack and has put up solid numbers offensively this year. The Panthers have used two quarterbacks, with senior Wiley Cain starting the first two contests and putting up 629 yards and four touchdowns on a 55.9% completion percentage, and junior Christian Arrambide starting their most recent two games with similar numbers – 502 yards and three touchdowns on a 53.1% completion percentage.
Whichever quarterback is on the field will have access to several quality playmakers, led by senior David Florence, who was second-team All-G-MAC in 2021 and has a team-high four receiving touchdowns so far. Brennen McGuire and Peyton Peters are also off to solid starts for the Panthers.
As an Air Raid team, KWC runs the ball less than most squads, but does have two capable running backs in Jatorian Dillard and Landon Newman that split carries.
The Panthers are coached by Tyrone Young, who is in his first year as a head coach after leading KWC's defense for two seasons as a coordinator prior to taking the job. Prior to his time in Owensboro, Young also served as an assistant at King's College, Lock Haven and Anderson University, following a four-year playing career at Kentucky Christian University.
Hillsdale is 4-0 all time against Kentucky Wesleyan, with an average margin of victory of 19.5 points in those four contests. The most recent meeting between the two teams was last November, when Hillsdale took a 31-12 victory at home over the Panthers.
#22 Hillsdale defeats Northwood University
Against a dangerous opponent, the 22nd-ranked Hillsdale College volleyball team put together one of its best hitting performances this season to stay unbeaten in the G-MAC.
The Chargers hit .301 and finished with 63 kills in four sets to take down North Division rival Northwood, 25-7, 25-27, 25-20, 25-22 in a crucial conference contest at home on Tuesday.
Four players finished with double-digit kills for the Chargers, whose firepower at the net was enough to overcome a game effort from the Timberwolves on the night. Senior Karoline Shelton led with 17 kills, 10 digs and two block assists, sophomore Marilyn Popplewell chipped in 16 kills, and senior Megan Kolp added 13 kills for the Chargers.
Sophomore Maizie Brown rounded out the offensive tour de force for Hillsdale with 11 kills on a .688 hitting percentage and five block assists.
Directing it all for the Chargers was sophomore Lauren Passaglia, whose 59 assists were just two off the Chargers' single match record of 61 assists set in 2018 by Lindsey Mertz. Passaglia also added nine digs and two aces.
The Chargers served notice right away in the match with a dominant set one victory, hitting an incredible .429 at the net to beat Northwood 25-7 and take a big early advantage.
Hillsdale led 16-10 at one point in set two, looking like they might be on the way to a comfortable sweep, but Northwood had other plans. The Timberwolves went on a 14-4 run to turn a six point deficit into a 24-20 advantage, and although Hillsdale was able to fight off four consecutive set points to extend the set, eventually the Timberwolves earned a 27-25 victory and evened up the contest.
That led into a tense, back-and-forth final two sets. In both, Hillsdale struggled to pull away from a determined Northwood team, but better execution late by the Chargers allowed Hillsdale to pull out both sets and take the victory. Hillsdale scored three of the final four points in set three, all on kills, and scored five of the final seven points in set four to close out the Timberwolves.
Defensively, libero Alli Wiese led the Chargers with 22 digs, and Amy Buffini chipped in 11 as well in the back row for Hillsdale.
Along with a prolific number of kills, Hillsdale's efficiency also put Hillsdale over the top. The Chargers committed just 17 attack errors to Northwood's 29 and were the cleaner team offensively throughout the contest.
Now 14-2 overall, and 7-0 in the G-MAC, Hillsdale remains tied with Findlay atop the North Division, and tied with both the Oilers and Ashland for the best record in the conference. The Chargers now embark on a long road trip that includes the Midwest Regional Crossover in two weeks, starting with a match at a dangerous Cedarville team on Friday, Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Charger Football will travel to Wesleyan, Volleyball beats Northwood
