A spirited effort by Calvin lifted it to a three game victory over 
rival Hope College 30-26, 30-24, 30-23. The victory at Hope's Dow Center was the 
fifth win in a row over Hope and ran Calvin's win streak to 10 matches. Calvin's 
last defeat came in a five-game defeat to Alma on October 9. 

Trailing 14-11 in game one, Calvin used a timeout to try to break the momentum 
that Hope had built up. The move paid off as the Knights went on a 11-5 run to 
seal a game one victory 30-26. Calvin then used that momentum it had built and 
jumped ahead of the Dutch 6-1 in the second game, using a kill from senior 
middle-hitter Melissa Pell (Fremont). The Knights would be in good hands as 
senior setter Laura Tucker (Holland Christian) guided the Calvin vessel through 
tough times, using precise setting and timely dump kills. Tucker, playing one of 
her better matches as a Knight recorded 34 assists, 11 digs, five kills and two 
service aces. 

"Laura played her best defensive match of the year," said Calvin head coach 
Amber Warners. "She really gave it her all-out best effort." 

The Knights would not look back as they kept the lead with all-around solid 
play from back row to front row. Calvin only trailed twice the entire match. 

"I think the difference was the passing," Warners said. "We picked everything 
up on defense and really won the war at the net." 

Calvin (25-6 overall, 12-2 MIAA) was led by its dangerous middle-hitter 
combination of sophomore Kara Kuipers (Unity Christian) and Pell. Pell recorded 
15 kills on the match while Kuipers added 11 kills and four blocks. Senior 
Cassie Christopher (Fruitport) also played a good match, amassing eight kills 
and 20 digs while senior Sarah Rottman (Holland Christian) had a very balanced 
match picking up 18 digs. 

With the regular season complete, the Knights now move into the conference 
tournament, where they have cemented a second seed in next week's event. On 
Tuesday the Knights will face seventh-seeded St. Mary's at 7 p.m. at the Calvin 
Fieldhouse.