Calvin Volleyball Falls to UW-Eau Claire in National Championship Final
-- Story provided by Calvin University Athletics --
The No. 4 seeded Blugolds (35-3) defeated the No. 6 seeded Knights (32-4) 25-22, 25-23, 25-21 to capture the national crown.
The two teams had squared off in the national semifinals in 2018 with the Knights winning that match in five sets but on Saturday evening, Wisconsin-Eau Claire was up to the task.
The Blugolds kept the Knights on their heels with a strong service attack and aggressive play up front at the net.
Wisconsin-Eau Claire hit .320 in the match, dug up 50 balls and had 10 block assists in the win.
In set one, Calvin fell behind 10-5 and later trailed 21-15. The Knights closed to within two points late at 23-21 and 24-22 but could not climb all the way back as Wisconsin-Eau Claire closed out the set with a kill.
Set two proved to be a tight contest. With the set tied 17-17, the Blugolds went on a 3-0 run to gain a 20-17 lead. Calvin fought back to tie the set 21-21 but Eau Claire but a Calvin ball handling error and back-to-back kills gave the Blugolds a 24-21 lead. A kill from senior Kelsey Smith (Vienna, Va./Madison HS) and a service ace by junior Theresa Kehn (Brighton, Mich./Charyl Stockwell Preparatory School) put Calvin within a point at 24-23 but Wisconsin-Eau Claire came up with the serve receive on the ensuing rally and closed out the set with a kill.
In set three, Calvin built a 19-15 lead but UW-Eau Claire came back with a 5-1 run to tie the set 20-20. A service error by the Blugolds gave Calvin a 21-20 lead but the lead was short lived. UW-Eau Claire came back with a kill and a block to take a 22-21 lead. A ball handling error by the Knights made it a 23-21 score. Smelling victory, Wisconsin-Eau Claire then came up with back-to-back kills from the outside to close out the set and the match.
"I think we were out-matched tonight," said Calvin head women's volleyball coach Amber Warners. "Their height and physicality were tough to match up with. At the same time I don't think there was one time where our team gave up. I was proud of the way our team competed. They played hard to the final point."
Calvin was led in defeat by junior Heidi Westra (Clarendon Hills, Il./Timothy Christian HS) with 15 kills and a .389 attack percentage. Westra also had six digs and two service aces. Smith had 12 kills. Senior setter Anna Schriemer (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg HS) had 36 assists and eight digs. Senior Madelyn Hall (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville HS) had seven kills. Junior Aubrey Wrubel (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) had 11 digs. Senior Grace Kellogg (Belleville, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) had three service aces.
At the conclusion of the match, Schriemer, Hall and Westra were named to the all-tournament team.
Saturday night marked the seventh appearance for Calvin in a national final in women's volleyball.
Calvin Women's Volleyball Team Advances to National Final With Win Over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
-- Story provided by Calvin University Athletics --
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Calvin women's volleyball team will play for a national championship Saturday night.
The Knights punched their ticket to the NCAA III Championship final with a four-set victory over No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Friday night on the campus of Washington University of St. Louis.
Calvin toppled the Athenas by scores of 25-20, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19.
The Knights will face UW-Eau Claire in the national final at 7 p.m. (CST). UW-Eau Claire (34-3) knocked off top-seeded Juniata in five sets in the opening semifinal Friday evening.
Calvin (32-3) victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was its second of the year over the Athenas (31-2) as the Knights had picked up a four-set win over them back on October 22 at Calvin's Midwest Invitational.
The Knights used strong defensive play at the net and in the back row to gain the win. As a team, Calvin compiled six solo blocks and 14 block assists while digging up 73 balls.
Calvin also got off to a strong start, taking set one with a 9-4 run to end the set capped off by a kill by junior Heidi Westra (Clarendon Hills, Il./Timothy Christian HS).
In set two, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps reversed the momentum and rolled out to a 21-14 lead. Calvin fought back with a 9-3 run to close to within a point at 24-23. The Athenas escaped with the set win however on a Calvin service error.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps grabbed a 12-5 lead in set three but the Knights fought back again, ripping off a 10-1 run to lead 15-13. Mudd-Scripps then led 20-18 and 22-20 but a 5-1 Calvin run fueled by powerful front row blocking by the Knights allowed Calvin to win the set 25-23 with Westra closing out the set with a kill on a feed from senior Anna Schriemer (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg HS).
The four set followed a familiar pattern as the Athenas led 12-6 but Calvin responded with a 11-2 run to lead 17-15. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps closed to within a point at 19-18 but back-to-back kills by Westra put Calvin up 21-18, forcing the Athenas to call timeout.
Schriemer and senior Madelyn Hall (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville HS) then teamed up for a combo block, Schriemer tallied a kill to the corner and senior Kelsey Smith (Vienna, Va./Madison HS) closed out the set and match with back-to-back kills to send the Knights into the national final Saturday night.
"I thought it was an interesting match tonight," said Calvin head women's volleyball coach Amber Warners. "I thought we played with a lot of heart and emotion which I think helped us at times when we were down. That helped us get to the next point and not worry about the score."
Calvin will now make its eighth appearance in the national final with Warners playing a role in all eight. As a freshman, she was a starting setter on Calvin's 1986 team that reached the national final. She has coached Calvin's last seven teams to reach the national final which will be Calvin's first since 2018.
"I sort of feel like we haven't been here before," said Warners. "You never know if you will have a chance to get back to this point and every year is a new team with new people. The key for us will be staying in the moment, not taking ourselves too seriously and having fun during the day tomorrow. We need to rest and refuel. We are really grateful to have this opportunity."
Calvin was led in the win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps by Westra who tallied 17 kills and 18 digs. Hall had 11 kills, four solo blocks and two block assists. Smith had 10 kills and three block assists. Schriemer was a force with 33 assists, 18 digs, six kills and three service aces. Freshman Vanessa Martinez (Hudsonville, Mich./Wyoming HS) was also pivotal with seven kills, two solo blocks and five block assists. Junior Aubrey Wrubel (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) had 12 digs and senior Grace Kellogg (Belleville, Mich./Plymouth Christian Academy) seven digs.
Calvin Volleyball Tops Trinity in Five-Set NCAA III Quarterfinal Thriller
-- Story provided by Calvin University Athletics --
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Calvin women's volleyball advanced to the national semifinals with a thrilling five-set come-from-behind victory over Trinity University of Texas Thursday night on the campus of Washington University of St. Louis.
Calvin defeated the Tigers by scores of 25-20, 19-25, 18-25, 25-19, 15-10.
Seeded sixth out of eight teams in the national quarterfinals, Calvin (31-3) advances to the semifinals to face No. 2 seed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (31-1) at 7:30 p.m. (CST) Friday night.
Thursday's quarterfinal match between Calvin and Trinity featured a rematch of the 2019 quarterfinals with the Tigers defeating the Knights in five sets in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
On Thursday night, Calvin used grit and determination to turn the tables on the Tigers and advance to the semifinals for the eighth time in 11 years – one of only four programs in NCAA III women's volleyball history to achieve the feat.
Calvin stormed out fast in its win over Trinity grabbing an early 8-1 lead in set one. Trinity later fought back from an 18-11 deficit with a 9-1 run to take a 20-19 lead. Calvin answered with a 6-0 run however to close out the set one win. The final two points of the run came courtesy of a service ace by junior Maria Bos (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian HS) and a kill by senior Madelyn Hall (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville HS).
Trinity grabbed control of the match by hitting .333 in a 25-19 set two win and .290 in a 25-18 set three win.
The Knights came back to hit .344 in set four however and came back from a 13-12 deficit with a 9-1 run to take a commanding 21-14 lead. A kill by Hall and subsequent back-to-back kills by senior Kelsey Smith (Vienna, Va./Madison HS) closed out the set and forced a pivotal set five – marking Calvin's fifth five-set match of the year.
Behind a strong service run by Smith, Calvin jumped out to a 7-1 set five lead, forcing Trinity to burn both of its timeouts. The Tigers rallied, closing to within two points on three occasionns, trailing 10-8, 11-9 and 12-10.
Calvin junior Heidi Westra (Clarendon Hills, Il./Timothy Christian HS) then came up with a clutch roll shot over the block and down the line for a 13-10 Knight lead. An attack error put Calvin a point away from the win and Westra made good on the opportunity moments later, smacking home an attack off a feed from senior Anna Schriemer (Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksburg HS) to complete the win.
"We are always grateful to be here (national quarterfinals), we never take it for granted," said Calvin head women's volleyball coach Amber Warners. "I think the juniors and seniors on this team just felt like this was another chance for them, finding themselves in the same situation they were two years ago. I think the thing that stands out for me was the defense we played tonight and the look in the eyes or our team whether they were up or down. It never changed and that was really fun for me as a coach."
Named the Division III National Player of the Year the day before, Westra lived up to her billing by smashing home 29 kills and hitting at a .479 clip while digging up 14 balls and picking up an ace and an assist.
Hall had 14 kills and four solo blocks. Smith had a big night with 12 kills and a .320 hitting percentage. Schriemer had 46 assists and 14 digs. Junior libero Aubrey Wrubel (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) had 19 digs and eight assists.
As a team, Calvin hit .287.
Calvin now joins (former D3 member) UC-San Diego, Juniata and Washington University of St. Louis as the only four programs to reach the national semifinals eight times in a span of 11 years.
Friday's semifinal match will be the second meeting of the year between Calvin and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with Calvin defeating the Athens in four sets at the Calvin Midwest Invitational back on October 22. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated Berry College in four sets earlier on Thursday night. Also advancing to the semifinals on Thursday were Juniata and Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
