-- Story provided by Hope College Athletics --
In a land where spellbinding stories are told, the Hope College volleyball team is serving up its own enchanting script.
Following an unprecedented path in the history of the NCAA Division III Championships, the second-ranked Flying Dutch are playing for a second national title in program history this weekend in Claremont, California, 42 miles outside of Hollywood.
Hope (32-2) earned a showdown against reigning national champion and top-ranked Juniata College (Pa.) by topping eighth-ranked but Cinderella-story Claremont-Mudd Scripps 25-21, 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 15-10 on Thursday.
The five-set victory was the Flying Dutch's fourth such match in a row — the most by any team since the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championships started in 1981.
Hendrix College (Ark.) is the only other program to win at least three five-set matches in a row, accomplishing that feat in 2004 between the regional semifinals and the national quarterfinals.
Hope's cast is perfect, two-time All-American setter Lauren Lee said.
"There is no team I'd rather be with in this national championship," said Lee, whose team will face Juniata College (Pa.) on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. Eastern at Claremont's Roberts Pavilion. Hope is seeking its first national title since 2014.
"I was getting a little emotional coming over here. I was looking around at all my players, and I'm 'I love these girls,'" Lee said. "I look in everyone's eyes, and I see the love between each other and hardships each and everybody has persisted through. I know the fifth set is nothing compared to what these girls have been through, and they have my back. Being in this national championship with my best friends is really fun."
Thursday's thriller followed five-set victories over No. 9 Johns Hopkins University (Md.) in the national quarterfinals on Wednesday, No. 17 Transylvania University (Ky.) in the regional finals on November 18 and No. 23 Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the regional semifinals.
This match featured a few twists. The winner between Hope and C-M-S earned a showdown with second-ranked and unbeaten Juniata, which swept sixth-ranked New York University, 25-15, 25-19, 25-20, in Thursday's first quarterfinal. Juniata now owns a 61-match winning streak that includes a 2022 national quarterfinal, four-set victory against the Flying Dutch.
Also, the Athenas of C-M-S were playing the national semifinal on their own court after upsetting top-seeded and third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the quarterfinals.
Roberts Pavilion drew 1,806 fans to watch the show. The majority of the boisterous crowd donned their favorite schools' cardinal-red and gold colors. With a large and vocal C-M-S student section, the stage looked similar to a showdown in "The Rivalry" against Calvin University.
The Athenas gave their loyal fans plenty of reasons to cheer. After falling behind 2-0, including a second-set loss to Hope that featured 12 tie scores and four lead changes, C-M-S took the next two sets, including a fourth set with eight tie scores and four league changes.
The drama built during the fifth set. There were eight tie scores and four lead changes.
Tied 9-9, the last of Lee's five kills put Hope ahead for good. The Flying Dutch scored five of the final six points, including a service ace from junior All-American Addie VanderWeide to set up the one-and-only match point and a C-M-S attack error for match point.
"Credit to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on a fantastic season. They really battled," head coach Becky Schmidt said. "They continued to elevate their play as this whole season went on. I was impressed with their aggressiveness, tactics and game planning. The Claremont students were awesome and created an incredible atmosphere.
"We talked a little bit about [the surroundings]. We've been in some hostile environments before and know how to handle those environments. I thought in the fifth set we were a little more aggressive at the net and aggressive with confidence."
Lee (Plymouth, Michigan / Saline HS) took centerstage by recording a career-best 60 assists, including six during the final set. The Flying Dutch outhit C-M-S, .298 to .247.
VanderWeide (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian) posted a game-high 24 kills with a .345 attack percentage. The outside hitter outdueled C-M-S All-American and 2022 AVCA Division III Player of the Year Jenna Holmes, who had 21 kills.
Freshman middle blocker Kamryn Burbridge (Grand Haven, Michigan / Grand Haven) put down 16 kills for Hope.
Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Fox (Saunemin, Illinois / Pontiac Township) chipped in 12 kills.
Junior outside hitter Liz VanderSlice (Wyoming, Michigan / Grandville) and senior middle blocker Alison DeWeerd (Kentwood, Michigan / South Christian) added eight and seven kills, respectively.
Senior libero Olivia Fiebing (Traverse City, Michigan / T.C. Central) posted a team-best 24 digs.
Everyone helped write another memorable chapter in the 2023 season. The Flying Dutch now have won seven five-set matches in NCAA Championships play dating back to the 2019 season.
"Fifth set or not, our ability to kind of quiet the noise, quiet the voice in our head that's anything other than the current play at hand is really special," Fiebing said. "Our ability to grow from every moment — and to have that growth mindset — are what ultimately allows us to deliver."
