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Chicago Falls to Hope in NCAA Debut
Story Courtesy of the Chicago Athletics Site
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- Jacie Fiedler and Kara VandeGuchte hit 10 kills each to lead sixth-ranked Hope College to a three-set victory over the 23rd-ranked University of Chicago in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship Thursday at Wittenberg University.
Hope, the regional's third seed, jumped out to a 14-2 lead en route to a 25-12 win in the opening set. The Flying Dutch hit at a .389 clip and served five aces, while the Maroons posted a negative hitting percentage (-.042) without an ace. Fiedler and VandeGuchte each hit three kills, while junior Colleen Belak (Louisville, Ky./ Presentation) registered two for the Maroons.
Chicago, the sixth seed, fell behind 14-9 in set two, but cut the gap to 17-16 after kills from junior Isis Smalls (Humble, Texas/ Atascocita) accounted for three straight Chicago points. A kill from sophomore Caroline Brander (River Forest, Ill./ Trinity) pulled the Maroons to within a point, 23-22, but VandeGuchte came up with kills on the set's final two rallies to give the Flying Dutch a 25-22 decision.
The Maroons took the lead for the first time in the match early in the third set when Smalls and sophomore Katie Trela (Glencoe, Ill./ Regina Dominican) combined on a block to put Chicago on top 2-1. A Hope service error gave the Maroons a 5-3 edge, but the Flying Dutch regained the advantage 6-5 as a result of back-to-back Chicago hitting errors.
Hope pulled away midway through the third set. Leading 11-10 after a Belak kill, the Flying Dutch capitalized on two Chicago overpasses, an attack error, and a ball handling error to run off seven straight points. VandeGuchte notched a pair of kills down the stretch before a Chicago hitting error accounted for match point as Hope took the third set 25-15.
Hope (27-4) hit .287 for the match to .064 for the Maroons (30-13), who were appearing in the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program's history. Smalls hit a team-high eight kills, while Trela finished with three block assists.
Sophomore Samantha Brown (Louisville, Ky./ Mercy Academy) and Belak were credited with 12 and 10 digs, respectively, for Chicago.
Jessica Maier led Hope with 11 digs, and Traci Baker served four of the Flying Dutch's eight aces.
