WHEATON, Ill. - The fourth-ranked Calvin University women's volleyball team continued its strong play to open the season with a 3-0 sweep at Wheaton (Ill.) by the scores of 25-16, 25-17 and 25-22.

The Thunder struck early with the first four points of the opening set, but the Knights settled in and quickly took the lead before finishing the opening set with six unanswered points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The second set was more of the same, as the Knights continued to roll with the help of six service aces from Aubrey Wrubel (Jenison, Mich./Jenison) to lead them to a 25-17 second-set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Calvin looked to be on the verge of an early knockout in the third set with a 14-9 lead, but the Thunder came back with a 9-1 run to take an 18-15 lead. The Knights showed no panic, however, as Emma Ekblaw (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) helped steady the ship with a pair of kills and one block before kills from Aerin Baker (Saugatuck, Mich./Saugatuck) and Vanessa Martinez (Hudsonville, Mich./Wyoming) down the stretch helped put the Thunder away.

Wheaton was unable to find an answer for Baker on the attack throughout the night as she finished with a Calvin-best 15 digs and a .565 attack efficiency. Martinez also had a stellar night with 10 kills while hitting .529.

Alyssa DeVries (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) led the Knights in assists (35) and digs (13), while Wrubel added 11 digs with her six aces. 

Calvin improved to 4-0 on the season with the win, while the Thunder fell to 1-3 in defeat. 

COACH'S COMMENT: "Going on the road during the week against a non-conference opponent is difficult," Calvin women's volleyball head coach Dr. Amber Warners said. "We will take the win and keep working hard to get better. I thought we played well at times but we need to learn to come and play with a sense of urgency all the time!" 

NEXT UP: The Calvin University women's volleyball team will return to action on Friday, September 8, when it travels to Wittenberg for the MIAA/NCAC Challenge. The Knights will face the hosts from Wittenberg on Friday at 7:30 PM before facing Denison and Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday, September 9.