Dalton volleyball didn’t just win Tuesday, they dropped an absolute bomb on Hillsdale’s perfect 10-0 record, snatching a 3-set sweep that sent shockwaves through the WCAL. This wasn’t just another game; this was the two-time reigning champion Bulldogs proving they still run the show in the conference, despite Hillsdale’s seemingly unstoppable start.
These Bulldogs Are All About the Comeback
Coach Allison Clear set the tone for the week with one word for her team: “Prove.” And boy, did they ever. Coming into this clash, Dalton was 6-0, but Hillsdale was an unblemished 10-0. Talk about stakes! The Bulldogs rolled into Hillsdale and left with a 25-23, 27-25, 25-21 victory, a clean sweep that ripped away Hillsdale’s undefeated status. Coach Clear openly admitted her team had shown “inconsistencies” this season, riding a “roller coaster going up and down.” But against a top-tier opponent like Hillsdale, they dug deep.
They had to. Hillsdale looked ready to cruise in the first set, leading 17-11, before Dalton started clawing back, tying it at 20, 21, 22, and 23. Emphatic kills from Sara Geibel and Payton Lehman stole that opener. Second set? Same story! Dalton was down 9-4 early, slowly, surely battling back to tie it at 19, then 22-22, and even 25-25 before back-to-back Jaedyn Yoder kills shocked Hillsdale into a 2-0 hole. Hillsdale coach Matti Willeke perfectly summed it up, saying Dalton is “really good at chipping away and putting balls in play,” explaining, “When we’d get a point, they get two.”
Jaedyn Yoder and the Message to the WCAL
That comeback momentum from the first two sets definitely carried into the third. Teams traded points all the way to 12-12 and then again at 18-18. But this time, Dalton kept pushing. They forced Willeke into her final timeout trailing 23-20. Hillsdale grabbed one more point, but then Yoder stepped up again, delivering two more kills to clinch the straight-set win. Coach Clear absolutely raved about Yoder, saying “She did fantastic,” and noting, “She just really put herself out there and wanted it.” It was plain to see.
This wasn’t an easy win, but that’s the point. As Coach Clear said, “Hillsdale is a great team and this is what we expected. We just made it a little harder on ourselves.” But they still got it done. They proved it. The message is loud and clear across the WCAL: the two-time champs are still here, and they’re not backing down from anyone, no matter their record. Hillsdale coach Willeke knows it too, adding, “There’s nothing to hang our heads about.”
Dalton now sits at 7-0. With this kind of fight and the ability to dig themselves out of any hole, the rest of the WCAL has to be looking at the Bulldogs and wondering how they’re going to stop this kind of championship grit.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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