The Calvin women’s volleyball team won their fourth straight match last Saturday at home against Trine University. The Knights won in straight sets behind the force of sophomore Laura Danhoff and junior Maggie Kamp.
Danhoff was named the MIAA Co-Player of the Week, along with Hope College senior Jenna Grasmeyer. Danhoff lead the way for the Knights with a hitting percentage of .462 on 30 kills in three different matches; this includes her 13 kills and a hitting percentage of .476 against Trine.
Although this is a great and admirable accomplishment, one should not overlook the increasing cohesion of Calvin’s team as they stay close to Hope in the overall standings.
The Knight’s conference record now stands at 9-1. Their only loss was against Hope, who leads the conference with a perfect record of 9-0 and is currently ranked number one in the nation.
This increase in play for the team will make them focus on what lies ahead instead of what happened in the past. The Knights got off to a hot start of 9-0 (3-0 in conference), but according to junior Maggie Kamp, they need to keep the same approach they had at that time in the season.
“We never look in the past, just to the games ahead,” said Kamp. “We focus on one point at a time. I know that for me personally, rankings don’t mean anything. They are just a number. We stay motivated to keep getting better no matter what that number is.” Kamp had an impressive outing on Saturday as well, with 10 kills and 11 digs of her own.
The team also keeps in mind that it does not matter what the scoreboard or the standings say; the effort put forth on the court is what really matters.
Calvin’s students are also becoming increasingly excited for the team. Griffin Brent, a sophomore and avid volleyball fan, said, “Women’s volleyball really brings the student body together.” With the full support of the student body behind them, the team is continuing to work well together and are seeing the results they need.
The Knights return to their home court to face Wheaton this Friday, October 10.
