GRAND RAPIDS - The third-ranked Calvin volleyball team battled through adversity to defeat number-22 Albion 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-16, 25-15) on Saturday in a battle for the top spot in the MIAA.

With the win, Calvin clinched at least a share of the MIAA regular season championship for the 14th time in coach Dr. Amber Warners' 21 seasons.

Calvin entered the game without four-time MIAA Player of the Week and 2021 National Player of the Year Heidi Westra (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Timothy Christian), who was unavailable due to injury, but the Knights came out determined to find a way to win on their home court.

Calvin took the opening set, but the Britons fought off the Knights to take the second set 26-24 to tie the match 1-1.

The Knights regained their footing in the third set, building a big lead early and rolling to a 25-16 win before closing the match strong to secure the 3-1 win.

Albion was strong in its front row defense and recorded 12 blocks, but the Knights set a new season high wth 62 total kills and hit .253 on the attack. Maria Bos (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) led the way with 15 kills to go with 22 digs. Gabriella Kellogg (Belleville, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) added 13 kills, while Tori Roskamp (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) and Vanessa Martinez (Hudsonville, Mich./Wyoming) each added 12 kills and combined for only two attack errors in the middle.

In her last two matches (both against ranked opponents), Roskamp has combined for 25 kills in 45 attack attempts with zero errors for an attack efficiency of .555.

The Knights were also strong defensively in the front and back, as Roskamp recorded five blocks to go with four from Martinez. In the back row, Aubrey Wrubel (Jenison, Mich./Jenison) set a new career high for a four-set match with 31 digs. Alyssa DeVries (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) set a new personal best with 53 assists.

In her first career start, Emma Ekblaw (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) filled in admirably for Westra, finishing with seven kills and three blocks.

The Knights improved to 22-3 on the season and 7-0 in MIAA play with the win. Albion fell to 22-5 overall and 5-2 in league play in defeat.

COACH'S COMMENT: "We felt like if we could just come out, relax, and play the way we were capable, we would be okay," Calvin head coach Dr. Amber Warners said. "I thought we maybe wanted it a little too much early on so it might not have been the best start, but I was really proud of how they just relied on one another and got tough to get the win."

NEXT UP: Calvin volleyball will close the regular season with a match at Kalamazoo on Saturday, October 29.