by Alan Babbitt

The sixth-ranked Hope College volleyball team secured its opportunity to play for an outright MIAA championship on its home court.

The Flying Dutch earned a 3-0 sweep at Olivet College on Wednesday to set up a first-place showdown against fourth-ranked Calvin University on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 1 p.m. at DeVos Fieldhouse.

Calvin also improved to 7-0 in MIAA play with a 3-0 win at Adrian College on Wednesday. Hope owns a 21-3 overall record, while Calvin is 25-2.

The Hope-Calvin winner wins the outright league title and claims the No. 1 seed for next week's MIAA Tournament. The losing team will be the No. 2 seed and also earn a first-round bye.

Against Olivet, the Flying Dutch won 25-11, 25-12, 25-15 while trailing only once over three sets — a 1-0 deficit in the second set after an Olivet service ace.

A balanced Hope attack featured eight kills apiece from three Flying Dutch: pictured from left, junior Charlotte Brecht (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan / Grosse Pointe South), senior Molly Ligon (Beverly Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm), and senior McKenna Otto (Wheaton, Illinois / Wheaton North).

Senior Ana Grunewald (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) chipped in seven kills.

Senior Tracy Westra (Clarendon Hills, Illinois / Timothy Christian) spearheaded the offense with 36 assists.

Hope hit .333 as a team.

Sophomore Maggie Wehrmeyer (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) posted a team-leading 20 digs.