Box Score GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin volleyball team won its fifth-straight MIAA Tournament title with a win over No. 10 Hope at Van Noord Arena on Saturday evening. The 3-0 victory is the third 3-0 victory for the Knights over the Flying Dutch in 2015. This is the 12th MIAA Tournament title for Calvin and the 10th under head coach Dr. Amber Warners. Calvin defeated Hope, 25-17, 25-23, and 25-21. Calvin improved to 28-3 on the year and Hope falls to 24-6.
"I thought it was an equally played match," said head coach Dr. Amber Warners. "I thought both teams were serving aggressively and took each other out of system at different points of the match. I think that we were maybe a little more consistent. I felt our defense was phenomenal tonight. I was really happy that we weathered the storm and that we stayed tough mentally and that we stayed engaged."
With Hope leading in the first set 5-4, Calvin would go on a 3-0 run behind the serve of senior Maggie Kamp (Orland Park, Ill./Chicago Christian). Kamp and the Knights would extend the lead with a 10-2 run to push the lead to 17-7. The Knights wouldn't look back from there, taking the first set, 25-17.
In the second set of the match, the Flying Dutch had the lead for the majority of the set. Hope saw its largest lead of the set at 12-7 but Calvin continued to chip away at the Hope lead, until the Knights tied the set at 14. Hope broke the tie with a kill and later built a 20-17 advantage. Once again, the Knights would fight back and tie the set at 23. After a Hope attacking error, Calvin junior Laura Danhoff (Willard, Ohio/Willard) finished the set with an ace off of the end line, giving Calvin the set, 25-23.
The two rivals would go on to exchange the lead and point in the third set until the set was tied at nine. Freshman Anna Kamp (Orland Park, Ill./Chicago Christian) broke the tie with a kill from sophomore Jenna Lodewyk (Villa Park, Ill./Timothy Christian). Leading 13-12, Calvin would put the set out of reach with a 6-0 run. Calvin would go on to take the set 25-21.
Calvin recorded 43 kills, 42 assists, 76 digs and five aces as a team. The Kamp sisters led Calvin in kills on Saturday night with Maggie Kamp tallying 14 and Anna Kamp with 10. Jenna Lodewyk has 33 assists on the evening. Senior Jamie Kooiman (Eugene, Ore./South Eugene) had a team-high 14 digs. Senior Rachel Lubben (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) had three total blocks.
This is the second time in school history that Calvin has won five-straight MIAA Tournament titles, the first being from 2004-2009, with no tournament champion being crowned in 2008. Calvin has also won 12 of the 16 MIAA Tournament crowns all-time.
The Knights claim the automatic bid with the win and will advance to the NCAA III Tournament for the 12th consecutive year. Calvin will learn its NCAA III Tournament fait when the pairings are announced on Monday morning at 11 a.m. (EST).
