By Mark DeHaan

The third-ranked Calvin Knights hosted the top-ranked Flying Dutch of Hope College on Wednesday evening, looking to avenge a 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 sweep at the hands of Hope earlier in the season.

Playing this game at Van Noord Arena, Calvin did just that, taking the rival Flying Dutch in four sets 25-22, 25-17, 25-27, 25-23. With the win, the Knights tie Hope atop the MIAA standings with identical 13-1 conference records.

Calvin came out strong in the first set. Hope won the first point, but six straight from the Knights, including three kills from junior Maggie Kamp, put Calvin up 6-1. The Flying Dutch rallied to within one at 8-7 behind strong serving from Jenna Grasmeyer, but Calvin responded and saw its lead grow to as much as eight at 20-12 on a kill by sophomore Laura Danhoff. Hope returned the rally and drew to within two at 22-20 before Knights head coach Amber Warners called a timeout. Calvin then closed out the set on a kill from senior Ellie Diepersloot to win 25-22.

In the second set, the Knights continued to roll. Strong serving from senior Elise Biesboer put the Knights up early. A kill by freshman setter Jenna Lodewyk then put Calvin ahead 11-8. The Flying Dutch drew to within two at 17-15, but after a Calvin timeout, a 4-1 Knights run forced Hope into a timeout of its own with Calvin leading 21-16. This time, it was Danhoff closing out the set with a kill, giving the Knights a 25-17 set two victory.

Hope responded in set three. The Flying Dutch came out and built an early 4-1 lead, but the Knights began to chip away and eventually worked their way back to tie the set at 11-11 on a Danhoff kill.

Twice late in the set, Calvin grabbed two point leads, forcing the Flying Dutch into timeouts. Hope responded and gained a 24-22 edge. The Knights would not go away either, and after tying the set 24-24, the set went into extra points. The Flying Dutch then forced Calvin into a pair of errors, taking set three 27-25.

The fourth set proved to be the last. Just like the third set, set four went back and forth, and the entire set was played in a five-point window as neither team held more than a three-point lead. Hope took the largest lead at 15-12 on a kill by Allie Mitchell, but a 7-2 run by Calvin put the game into the Knights favor. With the lead in hand, Calvin held off Hope for the remainder of the set, earning a 25-23 fourth set victory to close out a 25-22, 25-17, 25-27, 25-23 four set win.

Calvin hit .246 while Hope was held to a percentage of .200.

For Hope, Jenna Grasmeyer had 15 kills. Allie Mitchell led the Flying Dutch with 22 digs while setter Lauren Hazekamp had 42 assists.

"We have to be able to pass serve much more effectively than what we're doing right, that's going to help us get our offense back into rhythm a little bit," said Hope head coach Becky Schmidt. "I thought (Calvin's) defense was well placed. I thought they did a very nice job of making us have to force adjustments."

Individually for the Knights, Kamp led the Knights with 22 kills, also adding 13 digs, while Danhoff had 13 kills and Diepersloot had 11. Biesboer played a strong game along Calvin's back line, tallying a career-high 31 digs. Freshman Emily Blankespoor chipped in 16 digs while Lodewyk dished out 47 assists.

"I was really, really happy with the team's spirit and fight, and the way they stayed in the moment. Even when the tide turned, a lot of teams just end up folding, but I was proud of them for sticking with it and being tough," said Calvin head coach Amber Warners. "I think we serve-received a little bit better than them tonight, and we kept them out of system more often than we were."

The win moves Calvin into a tie with Hope atop the MIAA. Both teams are now 13-1 in conference, and the loss is the first for the Flying Dutch this season as they move to 25-1 overall. The Knights improve to 23-3 overall.

Calvin now has a six-day break before its next match, looking ahead to next Tuesday when Alma College visits Van Noord Arena. First serve for the Knights versus Scots is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.