GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Calvin downed a determined Alma squad in three sets in the MIAA Tournament semifinals Thursday night at Van Noord Arena. The win sets up another rivalry showdown for the MIAA Tournament title between Calvin and Hope. Hope defeated Albion in three sets in Thursday's other semifinal to set up the Saturday final which is slated to start at 3 p.m. inside Van Noord Arena.

In the first set of the match, the Scots jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead over the Knights. Ranked sixth nationally, Calvin (9-0) rallied back into the game and took a 9-7 lead after a kill by Gabriella Kellogg (Belleville, MI / Plymouth Christian Academy).

Alma (4-6) was still fighting as it went on a 6-0 run to take the 13-9 lead. The Knights came right back by taking a 16-15 lead after a kill by Maria Bos (Grand Rapids, MI / Grand Rapids Christian). Calvin continued to lead in the first set while going on a 9-3 run and hung on to win 25-18.

The second set had Calvin using the first set momentum to gain the early lead. After a kill by junior Anna Schriemer (Vicksburg, MI / Vicksburg), the Knights had the 10-5 advantage over the Scots. Calvin added to its lead by going on a 6-1 run that was capped off by back-to-back kills by Bos to extend the lead to 16-6.

Alma tried to battle back into the set and got to within seven with a score of 20-13, but the Knights didn't give up an inch the rest of set. Calvin closed out the set on a pair of Alma attack errors to win it 25-14.

In set three, the Scots came out with energy as they quickly grabbed a 5-3 lead. The Knights battled back into the game as a kill by Heidi Westra (Clarendon Hills, IL / Timothy Christian) tied it at 10-10. Alma started to gain momentum and rattled off a 7-3 run to take the 17-13 lead.

Calvin went on a 5-0 run that was capped off with a block from Westra and Madelyn Hall (Hudsonville, MI / Hudsonville) to snatch the 18-17 lead. The Knights got the score to 24-21 after a service ace by Grace Kellogg (Belleville, MI / Plymouth Christian Academy), but Alma wasn't done just yet.

The set became a back-and-forth affair after Alma tied it at 24-24. Both teams fought off set points with the score eventually tied 28-28. Westra came up clutch for Calvin as she got the final two kills of the set to win it 30-28. The Knights stay undefeated on the season and advance to the MIAA Tournament Championship.

Gabriella Kellogg finished with a career-high 18 kills on the evening while Schriemer finished with 44 assists on the evening. Aubrey Wrubel (Jension, MI / Jenison) finished with 14 digs while Westra ended the night with 11 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore Theresa Kehn (Brighton, MI / Charyl Stockwell Preparatory) finished with 11 digs and Bos finished with 12 kills.

COACHES COMMENTS: "We played an Alma team that came ready to win tonight," said Head Coach Amber Warners. "I was very happy with the way we played. I thought we played incredible defense and really turned around a lot of good hits that they had into kills for us. I thought we did a really nice job not looking ahead and hit the plan for each point. I'm very proud of the resiliency our team showed near the end of the third set. Tomorrow we're going to work hard and prepare to play Hope. Always lots of stuff to improve upon and make us better."