Welcome to tonight's match between the sixth-ranked Hope College and top-ranked Calvin College volleyball teams. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. match. The winner of The Rivalry tonight will take over sole possession of first place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings.
MIAA Standings | MIAA Statistics | PDF version of game program
Hope enters on a five-match win streak that puts the Flying Dutch 13-1 overall and 6-0 against MIAA competition. The Flying Dutch are coming off two home wins over the weekend: Saint Mary's in three sets on Friday and Adrian in five sets on Saturday.
Calvin (12-0) won twice over the weekend: Kalamazoo at home in three sets Friday and at Alma in four sets Saturday. The Knights are reigning MIAA champions.
This is the 92nd all-time between Hope and Calvin. The Flying Dutch trail in the series 62-29. Calvin won all three meetings last season after Hope defeated the Knights in the 2014 national semifinals en route to a national title.
Five of the MIAA's top 10 hitters are on the court tonight. Three are from Hope: Katie Rietberg (2nd at 3.36 kills per set), Sarah Feldpausch (6th at 3.02) and Courtney Van Houzen (10th at 2.38). Calvin's ranked hitters are Laura Danhoff (1st at 3.83 kills per set, and .477 hitting percentage) and Anna Kamp (5th at 3.13 kills per set).
Hope and Calvin have the MIAA's top two setters. Calvin's Jenna Lodewyk (1st 10.33 assists per set) and Hope's Sophia Hackett (2nd at 10.18).
Join us every Monday this fall for the Hope College H-Club Athletics Luncheons at Maas Auditorium. The one-hour program featuring two Hope coaches begins at noon. Cost is $10 and includes a buffet lunch. Volleyball coach Becky Schmidt's next scheduled appearance at the H-Club Luncheon is Monday, Oct. 17.
Hope's next match is Tuesday, Oct. 4 against Kalamazoo at 7 p.m. on the DeYoung Volleyball Court.
Fans, you can participate in our weekly Buffalo Wild Wings Brain Buster Trivia at every Saturday home event this school year. Look for the trivia question on Hope Athletics' Twitter account at kickoff and tweet your guess for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings. All guesses must tag Hope Athletics and include the hashtag BWW Brain Buster.
Order your Hope College volleyball and athletics gear online through our Sideline Store. Customize items with whatever Flying Dutchmen or Flying Dutch team you want. Visit hope.edu/sideline story to find your gear.
Download the new Hope Athletics Front Row app. Just search Hope Athletics on either the App Store or Google play. Fans can sign up for breaking news, scores and alerts of any Hope team they would like. Learn more at athletics.hope.edu/frontrow.
Need something to eat or drink at today's game? Check out Hope College Concessions on the concourse for food, snacks, pop and water. Credit and debit cards are accepted.
