GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University women's volleyball team recorded two wins on day two of the Midwest Invitational at Van Noord Arena on Saturday.
Calvin (16-3) won the opening match against University of Mount Union (9-12) 3-0 by the scores of 25-15, 25-20 and 25-19. In the second match, the Knights topped Wheaton College (18-7) in four sets by the scores of 25-8, 25-11, 25-27 and 25-18.
Match 1
The Knights opened the day with a three-set sweep of Mount Union.
Calvin was strong on the attack from the start, hitting .410 in the opening set with 17 kills and only one error on the way to a 25-15 win.
Aerin Baker (Saugatuck, Mich./Saugatuck) led the charge with five kills, while
Grace Spoelma (Caledonia, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) recorded seven digs and six assists in the set.
The Purple Raiders looked to even the match in the second set, but Baker once again led the Calvin attack with six kills while fellow senior
Emma Ekblaw (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) chipped in five kills to push the Knights to a 2-0 overall lead.
The Knights closed out the match with a strong defensive effort in the third set, holding the Purple Raiders to -.038 hitting on the attack with the help of two blocks and four kills from
Mary Boa (Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood International Charter) to seal the win.
Baker finished the match with 13 kills while Ekblaw added 10 kills with a .588 attack efficiency. Boa finished with eight kills and three blocks.
Madison Wiersema (Fremont, Mich./Western Michigan Christian/Arkansas State) added five kills and four blocks.
Spoelma and
Tryna Vander Zwaag (Hamilton, Mich./Holland Christian) each finished with 13 digs.
Match 2
Calvin closed the day with a 3-1 win over Wheaton.
The Knights were dominant in the first two sets, winning 25-8 and 25-11 and looked to be in complete command heading down the stretch of the third set.
Calvin won the first set with a .385 attack efficiency while holding the Thunder to -.292. Spoelma served 10 straight points to help the Knights push an early 10-3 lead into a 20-3 advantage and five different Calvin players recorded at least two kills in the set.
The second set was more of the same as the Knights raced out to another big lead. Baker led the attack with five kills and Boa assisted on four blocks to push the Calvin advantage to 2-0 overall.
The Knights looked in complete control with a 20-13 lead in the third set, but the Thunder made a furious comeback late and saved one match point on the way to winning the set 27-25 to push the match to a fourth game.
After a back and forth start to the fourth set, the Knights settled in as
Sarah Bradley (Clarkston, Mich./Everest Collegiate), Ekblaw and Boa each recorded three kills and Ekblaw added four blocks to help push Calvin over the finish line and secure the win.
Bradley led Calvin with 11 kills in the second match and added four blocks. Ekblaw and Boa each added nine kills apiece and combined for 13 blocks. Baker finished with 10 kills.
Vander Zwaag led the Knights with 15 digs. Spoelma recorded her second double-double of the day with 21 assists and 11 digs.
COACH'S COMMENT: "I think, in general, we played much better than we have in the past except for maybe the last set," head coach Dr.
Amber Warners said. "We were just rolling and getting everyone getting everyone firing on all cylinders. To be really honest, we're working on our side of the net (compared to the quality of opponent this weekend). We've been our hardest opponent all year. Great quality wins, but we're just trying to concentrate what we need to do better and I thought we did exactly what we needed to do."
NEXT UP: Calvin women's volleyball returns to action on Tuesday, October 14, when it hosts Saint Mary's College (Ind.) for a match scheduled to start at 7:00 PM in Van Noord Arena.
