GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The 18th-ranked Calvin University women's volleyball team put together a strong performance from start to finish in a 3-0 sweep of Wittenberg University by the scores of 25-11, 25-19 and 25-21.
 
The match was the Knights' first at Van Noord Arena this season, and also served as the close to the first night of the MIAA/NCAC Crossover tournament.
 
The Knights brought the intensity from the start as they jumped in front 17-4 in the opening set and never looked back.
 
Calvin (3-1) was dominant in the opening set as it hit .344 on the attack and added two service aces from Mackenzie Gerig (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton). On defense, the aggressive and athletic Knights held Wittenberg (2-2) to -.026 attack efficiency in the set as Lina Kasuboski (Racine, Wis./Union Grove) paced the back row with six digs from her libero position.
 
The Knights continued to ride that momentum into the second set as they raced out to another eight-point advantage (16-8) and continued to hold off the Tigers on the way to winning the set 25-19. Aerin Baker (Saugatuck, Mich./Saugatuck) recorded five kills in the second set, while Gerig added two more aces.
 
The third set was more of the same for Calvin as it once again took control early with a 10-5 lead. The Tigers rallied to continue the match and cut their deficit to two (23-21) late, but Avery Ekkens (Portage, Mich./Kalamazoo Christian) recorded a kill to push the lead to 24-21, and Tryna Vander Zwaag (Holland, Mich./Holland Christian) put the match away with an ace to record the final point of the 3-0 sweep.
 
Calvin finished the match with a .303 attack efficiency compared to .093 for the Tigers. Baker led the Knights' attack with 12 kills, while Emma Ekblaw (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) added nine kills to go with five blocks.
 
Vanessa Martinez (Hudsonville, Mich./Wyoming) finished with six blocks and seven kills. Vander Zwaag led the setting effort with 17 assists, while Kasuboski recorded a team-high 13 digs.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "We played great tonight," Calvin head women's volleyball coach Dr. Amber Warners said. "I thought tonight we really reacted well when Wittenberg was able to get some points. I think we're going to be really fun to watch because we don't let balls drop very often. The challenge for us is to come out tomorrow night and play with just as much fire. It's just an amazing group to work with and I'm really thrilled with how hard they're working and how joyful they are."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin women's volleyball will play two more matches as part of the MIAA/NCAC Crossover tournament tomorrow (Saturday, September 7) at Van Noord Arena. The Knights will start the day with a match against Ohio Wesleyan University at 1:00 PM, followed by a match against Denison University at 3:30 PM.