Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 By Gina de Haan
The Calvin women's volleyball team closed out competition at its own Calvin Labor Day Weekend Invitational with victories over Thomas More and Pacific Lutheran.
Calvin opened the day against 23rd-ranked Pacific Lutheran. The Knights, coming off a 3-1 loss to a number-two ranked Emory University team Friday night, bounced back and swept the visiting Lutes 25-13, 25-22, 25-19.
A strong offensive attack by the Knights lifted them to a first set victory over PLU as the home team hit .500 in the effort. Calvin scored first off a kill by senior Maggie Kamp (Orland Park, IL/Chicago Christian HS) and held onto the lead for the remainder of the set.
The Knights began the second set with three consecutive points, courtesy of a service ace by freshman defensive specialist Rachel Herrera (Scheverville, IN/Illiana Christian HS) and kills by junior Laura Danhoff (Willard, OH/Willard HS) and Maggie Kamp. Calvin didn't trail the entire set, despite the resilient efforts of the Lutes who came close to pulling ahead numerous times.
Calvin utilized its momentum in the third set, displaying another solid offensive effort as the team hit .462. The Lutes made a late run at the Knights' lead, cutting the score 21-19, but Calvin would go on to score four consecutive points to close out the set.
Danhoff was the driving force behind the Knights' offense, finishing with 16 kills and a kill percentage of .714. Maggie Kamp put down 11 kills and Tessa Van Laare (Toronto, ON/Toronto District Christian) contributed nine. Freshman Anna Kamp (Orland Park, IL/Chicago Christian HS) added six kills.
Jenna Lodewyk (Villa Park, IL/Timothy Christian HS) had a stellar all-around performance as she dished out 40 assists and also led the Knights with nine digs and three service aces.
In their final match of the Calvin Labor Day Weekend Invitational, the Knights went up against the Saints of Thomas More College.
For the third time this weekend the number-one ranked Knights swept their opponent, taking down the Saints 25-12, 25-17, 25-14.
Calvin got off to a solid start, taking an early 7-1 lead in the first set before the Saints called timeout. The visitors held their own until the Knights pulled away, increasing their lead to double digits (17-7), after a couple Saints errors and a service ace by
Emily Blankespoor (Grand Rapids, MI/South Christian HS). Calvin cruised to a 25-12 set one victory.
Energy early from big kills by
Maggie Kamp (Orland Park, IL/Chicago Christian) and
Tessa Van Laare (Toronto, ON/Toronto District Christian HS) set the tone for set two. Kamp logged six kills in the set and Van Laare five as Calvin earned a 25-17 victory over its visitors.
Blankespoor started off the set with a service ace and
Laura Danhoff added to the effort with a solo block and a kill. The Saints struggled to put down their kills while
Maggie Kamp put two down to give her team a 8-1 lead, forcing Thomas More to call timeout. The Saints cut the lead to five (13-8) after a five-point run, but the Knights proceeded to outscore Thomas More 12-6 to close out the match.
Maggie Kamp led all players with 15 kills while
Laura Danhoff (Willard, OH/Willard HS) and Van Laare finished with eight kills apiece.
Jenna Lodewyk (Villa Park, IL/Timothy Christian HS) distributed 25 assists and also dug up six balls.
Keilahna Castillo (Grandville, MI/Grandville HS) led all players with 13 digs and also had four assists. Blankespoor contributed on the defensive end with seven digs.
After impressive performances this weekend, Danhoff and Lodewyk were named to the Calvin Labor Day Weekend all-tournament team.
The Knights begin conference play on Wednesday, September 9 when they travel to Indiana to play Saint Mary's. Game will begin at 7:00 p.m.
