In a continuation of the Calvin-Hope rivalry series, the No. 1 Knights held strong on their home court, winning an eighth consecutive match against the No. 2 Flying Dutch.
They did so in a mere three sets — 25-17, 25-21 and 28-26 — even though Hope had earned the No. 2 spot in the national rankings just earlier that day.
Although they swept the match, the Knights went down 2-0 in each of the first two sets.
Coach Amber Warners said that it shows the resilience of the team. “We need those growing moments to help us get better,” she said.
By putting the Dutch on the move constantly, the Knights were able to win the battle mentally, causing many errors.
Warners pointed out Hope’s unusually-high 13 service errors, saying it changed the game. “If you had to pinpoint one difference, [it was serving],” she said.
Each of the sets had close moments where the two teams fought for the lead, but it came down to the wire in the last set.
Hope began the set by earning a point, but after the teams battled back and forth for eight points apiece, Calvin went on a 6-0 run to bring the score to 14-8. Hope never gave up, narrowing in on Calvin until the Dutch were finally able to tie it at 23.
The teams exchanged blows again until kills from Laura Danhoff and Megan Rietema finally put the game away by a score of 28-26.
“The last point is just like any other point in the game,” said Rietema, but the student section seemed to disagree, as they capped their already energetic support with an eruption of cheers.
Maggie Kamp was Calvin’s best hitter once again finishing with 16 kills.
She said that she knew the crowd had her back.
“The crowd adds so much energy to our team … It’s just awesome to know that we have such a great support system that is with us no matter what,” she said.
Rietema was also a reliable support system providing 31 assists. The defense also played a huge supporting role, as the Knights had 72 digs on the night.
Kristi Zietse had 21 of those digs, Rietema had 12 and Elise Biesbor provided 11.
The next home game is on Wednesday, Sept. 25 as the Knights take on Adrian.
