ALMA, Mich. – The 25th-ranked Calvin University women's volleyball team closed the regular season with a 3-0 sweep of Alma College by the scores of 25-17, 27-25 and 25-16 on Friday night.
 
The win marked the 700th in the career of Calvin head coach Dr. Amber Warners, who reached the milestone in only 25 seasons as a head coach.
 
Calvin (23-3, 7-1 MIAA) came out strong to start, building an early 14-3 lead on the way to winning the first set 25-17. Aerin Baker (Saugatuck, Mich./Saugatuck) led the charge early for the Knights with seven kills in the opening set as the Knights hit a blistering .432 on the attack.
 
Alma (9-17, 2-7 MIAA) looked to even the score in a back-and-forth second set that featured 16 ties and eight lead changes. The Scots held chances for two set points at 24-23 and 25-24, but Calvin fought both off before Sarah Bradley (Clarkston, Mich./Everest Collegiate) closed the set with a kill to put the Knights up 2-0 in the match. Baker, Bradley, Caralee Schipper (Mount Brydges, Ontario/Strathroy District Collegiate Institute) and Madison Wiersema (Fremont, Mich./West Michigan Christian/Arkansas St.) each recorded four kills in the set for Calvin.
 
The Knights continued that momentum into the third set, extending an early lead to 16-10 before pulling away down the stretch to finish off the win. Wiersema led Calvin with four kills in the set while the Knights held Alma to only three kills and -.063 efficiency to close out the match.
 
Baker led three Calvin hitters with at least 10 kills with 14 for the match. Schipper and Bradley each finished with 10 kills for the Knights, who hit .339 over the three sets.
 
Delaney Kemp (Frisco, Texas/Frisco Centennial) led the Knights with 25 assists. Tryna Vander Zwaag (Hamilton, Mich./Holland Christian) finished with a match-best 18 digs. Mary Boa (Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood International Charter) and Emma Ekblaw (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) each recorded four blocks in the match.
 
NEXT UP: Calvin women's volleyball will return to action on Friday, November 14, when it plays in the MIAA Tournament semifinal. The Knights enter the tournament as the second seed and will find out their opponent following the tournament's first round. Hope College will host the semifinal and final round of the tournament on November 14 and 15.