 |  |
Hope Sweeps Aside Calvin On The Way To MIAA Title
Story and Photo Courtesy of the Hope Athletics Site
The Flying Dutch are headed back to the NCAA tournament where a year ago they advanced to the final four. Coach Becky Schmidt's Flying Dutch gained an automatic berth in the Division III tournament by sweeping rival Calvin in the championship match of the MIAA tournament, 25-14, 25-17, 25-14. Hope and Calvin were co-champions of the MIAA's regular season and both were nationally ranked heading into Saturday's match played before more than 2,000 fans at DeVos Fieldhouse.
With a 19-match winning streak, the Flying Dutch (26-4)are headed to the NCAA tournament for the third straight year and the eighth time in school history.
In posting their 20th three-set sweep of the season, the Flying Dutch were the dominant team against their rival. Seniors Jacie Fiedler and Kara VandeGuchte each had 12 kills. Setter Greer Bratschie was credited with 37 assists while Jessica Maier and Sara DeWeerdt finished with 12 and 11 digs respectively.
The NCAA tournament pairings and game locations will be announced on Monday.
