by Alan Babbitt

Outside hitter Ana Grunewald recorded a team-high 12 kills, but the Hope College volleyball team fell in five sets to DePauw University (Indiana) on Friday in the opening round of the MIAA/NCAC Crossover Challenge.

The 17th-ranked Flying Dutch lost 17-25, 25-13, 28-26, 20-25, 11-15 at Aim High Sports in Lansing.

Hope (3-1 overall) concludes the inaugural two-day tournament with matches on Saturday, September 7 against No. 8 Wittenberg University (Ohio) at noon and Kenyon College (Ohio) at 4 p.m.

DePauw (2-2) served up a decisive stretch in the fifth set with a string of seven consecutive points that broke a 2-2 tie. The Tigers recorded three aces to take a commanding lead.

Grunewald, a sophomore from Grand Rapids, Michigan (East Grand Rapids) shared the team-high with four aces. She also collected 11 digs.

Three Hope players finished with eight kills apiece: senior outside hitter Ryann Stutz of Kalamazoo, Michigan (Parchment), sophomore outside hitter Molly Ligon of Beverly Hills, Michigan (Birmingham Seaholm) and sophomore middle hitter McKenna Otto of Wheaton, Illinois (Wheaton North).

Sophomore setter Tracy Westra of Clarendon Hills, Michigan (Timothy Christian) finished with 20 assists.

Junior setter Adair Cutler of East Lansing, Michigan (Lansing Christian) totaled a team-high 18 digs along with 12 assists.