The Calvin volleyball team saw its NCAA regional tournament run come to abrupt halt on Thursday afternoon, falling to the 20th ranked Carnegie Mellon Tartans 30-23, 30-26, 30-23. The tournament, hosted by Mt. St. Joseph, boasts a powerful field, as four of the six teams are ranked in the current AVCA Division III poll.
Calvin fell behind early in the first game 15-5, due to a sloppy serve receive. The Knights would not give up, however, using a long rally capped off by a Melissa Pell (Fremont) kill as a fulcrum for the comeback, giving the Knights a 20-19 advantage. The Tartans responded with a run of their own riding the jump-serving of junior defensive specialist Christina Casella to finish out the game 30-23.
"I think that we handled the pressure pretty well tonight," said Calvin head coach Jerry Bergsma. "We had some people that rose to the occasion and really helped us out. I think that we received good efforts out of our front row, but our lack of serve receive made us a little too predictable."
The Knights fell victim to the jump serve again in the second game, finding themselves on the wrong side of a 7-0 run spurred by Casella's serve, giving the Tartans a 15-10 lead. Trailing by nine points, 24-15, Calvin (22-12) used the spark of senior co-captain Michelle Bowen (Troy) to score nine of the next ten points. Bowen, normally known for her vocal support, lifted the Knights during that span with a crucial kill and a much needed block. Carnegie Mellon (26-6) responded to the Knight's run with timely kills by junior outside hitter Lauren Schmidt, closing the door 30-26.
"Bowen gave us the kind of spark tonight that she has been giving us each of her four years at Calvin," commented Bergsma on the game two heroics by Bowen. "She really rose to the occasion."
Calvin was led by Pell, as she garnered 12 kills and five blocks. Freshmen Kathy Brenneman (North Muskegon HS) and Kara Kuipers (Unity Christian HS) along with junior Cassie Christopher (Fruitport HS) collected six kills apiece, while Brenneman added 5 blocks, and Christopher contributed 12 digs. Senior setter and co-captain Sara Ahrenholz (Prinsburg, MN) dished out 26 assists in her final collegiate match. The 2001 University Athletic Association Player of the Year, Lauren Schmidt led Carnegie Mellon with 19 kills and 14 digs.
Calvin was making its 13th appearance in the NCAA III Tournament. The Knights are now 13-15 in NCAA III Tournament play.
