The 11th-ranked Hope College volleyball team challenged top-ranked Calvin like few others have in NCAA Division III this season before falling on the road in five sets on Friday.

The Flying Dutch forced their rival to just its second five-match of the season — and the first since the season opener, but the Knights rallied for a 25-14, 19-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-8 victory.

Calvin (25-0 overall) clinched the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular-season title outright and the top seed for next week's league tournament. Hope (22-5, 12-3 MIAA) will be seeded second.

The Flying Dutch were the first since Millikin, Illinois on September 2 to make Calvin play a full five sets.

Sophomore Katie Rietberg of Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa HS) topped Hope with 15 kills.

Seniors Sarah Feldpausch of White Cloud, Michigan (White Cloud HS) and Courtney Van Houzen of Traverse City, Michigan (West) chipped in 12 kills apiece. Van Houzen also recorded five blocks, while Feldpausch had a team-high 22 digs.

Junior Sophia Hackett of Indianapolis, Indiana (Brebeuf Jesuit) totaled 41 assists.

Hope coach Becky Schmidt said she is proud of her players in terms of the way that they fought during the match.

"We've been talking all season long about having relentless pursuit, and going on instinct, and maybe not thinking so much and just going after the ball and doing everything you can in order to keep it alive. And I saw that, way more from our team tonight than I have in the last couple of weeks and I'm really proud of them for having the commitment it takes to play with that kind of energy and drive," Schmidt said. "We do need to be able to figure out how we're going to manage some of the tough serving that Calvin is able to deliver. I believe in our passers to be able to do that."

In the third set, Hope took the lead with inspired play that included 17 kills in its 25 points.

"I think we just realized how much we wanted it and we all wanted it for each other," Rietberg said. "We able to push ourselves to that level and play at that next level that we wanted to and I think it just came down to how much we wanted it. You could see the fire in everyone's eyes."

Hope will look to build on the confidence gained during the performance against Calvin on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 11 a.m. with the regular-season finale at Kalamazoo.