Calvin-Hope Women's Baskertball Rivalry Set to Renew Saturday Afternoon

The 138th meeting between Calvin and Hope in women's basketball is set to take place Saturday at 3 p.m. inside Calvin's Van Noord Arena.

Tickets to the game are still available and can be purchased through the Calvin Box Office at: Calvin University Box Office

Calvin comes in at 6-6 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA standings. Ranked 17^th nationally in one national poll and 23rd in another, Hope is 10-2 overall and atop the MIAA standings with a 3-0 conference record.

Calvin leads the all-time series 71-66 but Hope has won the last 18 meetings, marking its longest winning streak against the Knights in the history of the rivalry. Calvin won its first 31 meetings against Hope, a span that stretched from 1965-through-1983. Since basketball became an MIAA sport in 1978-79, Hope holds a 65-50 series lead and is 50-15 since 2000. Calvin head coach Mark Christner is 0-13 against Hope while Hope head coach Brian Morehouse is 52-23 against Calvin.

Hope won both meetings last season, winning 52-32 in Holland then edging Calvin 60-57 in Grand Rapids.

Saturday's contest marks Calvin's second matchup against a nationally-ranked team this week. The Knights fell 46-43 at No. 8 UW-Whitewater on Monday afternoon.

In overall games, Calvin is ranked second in the MIAA in scoring defense (53.8 ppg) but just seventh in scoring offense (56.6 ppg). Calvin is also ranked second in the MIAA in defensive field goal percentage (.334) and sixth in offensive field goal percentage (.355). Hope is the MIAA leader in scoring average (74.8 ppg) and is ranked third in defensive scoring average (54.8 ppg). Hope is ranked second in the MIAA in field goal shooting (.415) and is ranked third in defensive field goal percentage (.355).

Calvin leads Division III in blocked shots per game, swatting away 7.7 opponent shots per contest. Sophomore Hannah Sall leads Calvin individually, averaging 2.67 per-game which ranks 12^th nationally while senior Valerie Dirke is ranked 24th nationally with an average of 2.17 blocks-per-game. In a 77-46 win over Lakeland on December 19, Calvin established a new team single-game record for blocked shots with 18. The total also ranks as a Division III single-game high during the 2024-25 season.

Senior guard Anna Fernandez leads Calvin in scoring at 13.3 points a game along with 18 three-point baskets. Sophomore guard Katelyn LaRue averages 10.2 points a game and also has 18 three-point baskets on the season. Senior Valerie Dirkse averages 6.5 points and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds a game. She has swatted away 26 shots and collected 10 steals. She was the 2024 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Sophomore forward Hannah Sall averages 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds and has a team-best 32 blocked shots.

Hope is led in scoring by Olivia Bellows who averages 10.1 points a contest. The Flying Dutch have a balanced attack with Jada Garner (8.9 ppg), Sydney Vis (8.3 ppg) and Anna Richards (8.3 ppg) all averaging better than 8 points per contest. Leah Richards averages 7.3 points and a team-leading 6.5 rebounds a contest.

Mark Christner is in his sixth year as the head coach of the Calvin University women's basketball program. In six years as head women's basketball coach at Calvin, Christner has fashioned a won-loss record of 86-44. A 1999 Calvin graduate, Christner played three years of basketball with the Calvin men's basketball program and later served as an assistant coach with both the men's and women's programs. He went on to a 10-year stint as the head men's basketball coach at Waynesburg University (Pa.) before returning to his alma mater in the spring of 2019. He led Calvin to a 17-10 overall record a year ago which included a fourth place finish and a berth in the MIAA Tournament semifinals. In the 2020-21 season, the Knights went 5-6 overall and again reached the MIAA Tournament semifinals. Last year, the Knights went 19-8 overall and 11-5 in the MIAA, reaching the MIAA Tournament semifinals for the third straight season. Last year he led the Knights to an overall record of 21-6 which included a third place finish in the MIAA and a narrow miss for an at-large bid for the NCAA III Tournament. A year ago, he led Calvin to a second place finish in the MIAA and an overall record of 18-8 with the Knights reaching the MIAA Tournament semifinals. His wife Sara (Plasman) Christner played one year with the Calvin women's basketball program and four years with the Calvin women's softball program.

Fans of Calvin basketball should mark their calendar for each Monday night in February. Next month, starting February 3, Big E's restaurant on East Beltline is the home for "Inside Calvin Basketball" – a 30-minute program featuring men's coach Bill Sall plus coaches and players from the men's and women's basketball teams. The show airs live on 96.1 The Game and Michigan Sports Radio. Fans are welcome to join the live audience and enjoy the delicious menu items from Big E's.

Hope is led by veteran head coach Brian Morehouse who is in his 28^th year at the helm of the Flying Dutch program. He has an all-time won-loss record of 721-100 which includes Division III National Titles in 2006 and 2022.

Saturday's game will be live streamed with Bob Sack and Mike LeFebre calling all of the action. For more information on The Rivalry, visit the Calvin-Hope rivalry website at: CalvinHope.com

CALVIN-HOPE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LIVE STREAM LINK FOR 1-4-25

CALVIN-HOPE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LIVE STATS LINK FOR 1-4-25

CALVIN-HOPE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AUDIO STREAM FOR 1-4-25

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Players Mentioned

#23 Katelyn LaRue: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#14 Valerie Dirkse: F; 6' 0"; Senior

#24 Hannah Sall: F; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#13 Anna Fernandez: G; 5' 8"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#23 Katelyn LaRue
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#14 Valerie Dirkse
: 6' 0"; Senior
: F

#24 Hannah Sall
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: F

#13 Anna Fernandez
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G