by Dena Meiste

The No. 4 Hope College volleyball team celebrated the careers and contributions of nine seniors on Wednesday evening with a decisive 3-0 shutout over Adrian College.

Senior outside hitter Molly Ligon, pictured left side, led the match offensively with 10 kills, while senior libero Grace Pettinger paced the defense with 19 digs.

The Flying Dutch won by set scores of 25-18, 25-7, 25-23 to improve to 18-2 overall this fall, including an unblemished 6-0 record in MIAA action.

"This group has given so much over their four years to this program," head coach Becky Schmidt said. "Everybody, throughout their four years, contributed to find ways to make contributions to the team, be it in terms of culture, in terms of passing, leadership, or being a model for what it means to play your role well.

"I'm so grateful for the standard that they set for what it means to be a Hope volleyball player: to be team-foxued, to practice faithful love with each other, hold high expectations, and to work hard to get them."

Watch interview with senior outside hitter Emily Lafnear

As a team, Hope swung at a solid .271 (44 kills-15 errors-107 attempts) while the Bulldogs (6-13, 2-3 MIAA) struggled to hit around the Flying Dutch defense and ended the night in the red at -.041 (18-22-98). 

Senior setter Tracy Westra (Clarendon Hills, Illinois / Timothy Christian) spread the offense with 36 assists to go along with three kills and eight digs.

Ligon, a native of Beverly Hills, Michigan (Birmingham Seaholm), only needed 20 attack attempts to reach her 10 kills. She was one of two Hope hitters to go error-free, joining junior Charlotte Brecht (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan / Grosse Pointe South), who terminated seven kills on 14 attempts. Brecht further helped the Dutch cause with a match-high four blocks. 

Emily Lafnear (Goodrich, Michigan / Goodrich) and senior Ana Grunewald (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) added nine kills apiece, while senior McKenna Otto (Wheaton, Illinois / Wheaton North) concluded her night with six. 

Pettinger (Mt. Vernon, Iowa / Mt. Vernon), who suited up in the libero position, dished out six assists in addition to averaging more than six digs a set.

With an all-senior lineup on the floor to start the opening set, the Flying Dutch took little time flexing their offensive muscles to set the tempo of the match. Ligon led all hitters with four kills on five error-free swings, while Brecht went 3-for-5 on the attack. As a team, Hope hit for .346 (11-2-26) to walk away with the 25-18 set one victory.

The Flying Dutch went full gas in the second frame, hitting at a .400 clip and siding out at a perfect 100-percent rate. Defensively, Hope was also firing on all cylinders and the Bulldogs struggled to put the ball away. Brecht, Grunewald and Ligon combined for nine kills – more than double Adrian's kill tally in the frame – and the Dutch won soundly, 25-7.   

The Bulldogs played in step with Hope in set three, never trailing by more than two points and even knotting the score late at 20-20. The Dutch never faltered under the pressure, however, and continued to play aggressively on both sides of the net. Lafnear did the honors of clinching the match, hammering down a kill from the outside pin to put away the final set at 25-23.

Senior Sasha Poland (Norton Shores, Michigan / Mona Shores), pictured center above, got the start on her Senior Night as defensive specialist and picked up five digs and an assist. Senior Liz Cutlip (Middleville, Michigan / Thornapple Kellogg) also saw playing time in the back row and collected eight digs. 

The Flying Dutch take a brief break from competition and will return to action on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22-23 for the Midwest Invitational. Hosted by Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Hope is slated to face #2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, #14 Milikin University and Ohio Northern University.