The Calvin women’s volleyball team headed east this week as they took on Trine and took part in the Wittenburg Fall Classic. The team continued to impress as they won all five games in three sets.
The first game of the week against Trine saw the Knights improve their regular season winning streak against MIAA opponents to 42 games, taking the game 25-18, 25-11, 25-18.
Laura Danhoff led the team in kills with eight and three other players supplied five kills apiece. Megan Rietema continued to be a leader as she supplied seven kills and 20 assists. Elise Biesboer provided solid service as she ended the game with three aces.
The ladies then headed to the Wittenburg Fall Classic, first squaring off against Washington-St. Louis, a team ranked No. 6 in the nation. The first two sets were not easy as the teams went back and forth. The Knights prevailed, however, winning both sets by a score of 25-17.
In the third set, Calvin faced a little more adversity. Washington-St. Louis was within one point of victory when back-to-back kills by Rietema and Maggie Kamp helped the Knights find a way to tie the game and then take the lead. The game ended with excellent service by Kristi Zietse.
The third set finished 26-24, the first time this season that the Knights have had to score more than 25 to win a set. Kamp finished the game with 16 kills and Ellie Diepersloot followed with eight.
Game two of the Fall Classic against Heidelberg went a bit more smoothly for the team, as they went on early runs (7-2 and 6-2) in the first two sets, winning the sets 25-17 and 25-13.
The third set again was a bit scrappy at the start, but after battling for their first seven points, the Knights came back to take an 11-7 lead, eventually winning by a score of 25-19. Kamp finished with 12 kills; Emily Crowe had 11. Rietema had 35 assists.
On Saturday, the Knights started the second half of their four games by facing Mount St. Joseph. The games were won by scores of 25-11, 25-16 and 25-17.
Kamp provided 11 kills, Diepersloot followed with seven and three other players each had five. Rietema provided 31 assists and nine digs, while Zietse held her own in the back with eight digs.
The final game of the weekend saw the Knights face another top ten team in No. 8 Otterbein. This game was a defensive showcase as Calvin compiled 50 digs. The Knights were able to find the floor in the end, winning the sets 25-12, 25-19 and 25-22.
Zietse and Biesboer kept things together, recording 13 and 10 digs respectively. Offensively, Kamp and Rietema were able to create 11 and 10 kills respectively. Danhoff and Diepersloot followed with eight apiece.
