A timely change in defenses paid immediate, season-saving dividends for the Hope College volleyball team.

The second-ranked Flying Dutch rallied from two sets down to beat 10th-ranked Juniata (Pennsylvania) 21-25, 25-27, 25-20, 25-14, 15-8 in Friday's semifinals of the Springfield (Ohio) regional.

Photo of Hope's Jillian Sommerville by Lynee Powe

Hope (30-2 overall) reached the Saturday, Nov. 15, regional final and will face fourth-ranked and regional host Wittenberg at 7 p.m. The winner advances to next week's NCAA Division III Championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia. " 

The 30-win season is the sixth in the Flying Dutch's history.

The turnaround started midway through the second set, Hope coach Becky Schmidt said.

"We've been practicing a specific kind of defensive strategy over the past few weeks. What we just realized in the middle of set two that it just wasn't working," Schmidt said. "We decided to be a little more liberal with where our block was trying to go, let them read the hitter a little more — just try to get up and get touches.

"Our defense kind of fell in behind. Finally, in sets 3, 4 and 5, we were able to hold them to a lower hitting percentage, especially on the outside."

Senior Jenna Grasmeyer of Jenison, Michigan (Hudsonville Unity Christian HS), totaled 26 kills to lead the Flying Dutch. She finished two kills within of matching the school record she shares with Jacie Fiedler.

Senior Amy VanderStoep of Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa HS), chipped in 16 kills, while senior Anna Lynch of Lake Odessa, Michigan (Lakewood HS), added 10 kills.

Junior Lauren Hazekamp of Fruitport, Michigan (Fruitport HS), recorded 52 assists against Juniata (28-8).

Hope will play Wittenberg for the fourth time in the NCAA Division III Tournament.