by Alan Babbitt

McKenna Otto stood tall for the Hope College volleyball team when a band of Whitworth University Pirates threatened to force a fifth set in the NCAA Division III Tournament opener.

The two-time All-American middle blocker spearheaded the sixth-ranked Flying Dutch's decisive counterattack that resulted in a 3-1 victory on Thursday at the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Regional.

With a 25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 26-24 victory, Hope (24-4 overall) advanced to the regional semifinals on Friday, Nov. 12, at 4:30 p.m. Central to face the 15th-ranked University of Northwestern (Minnesota). The winner advances to the regional final on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. Central.

Northwestern (30-3) defeated Illinois Wesleyan University in three sets in Friday's first match.

Follow Hope-Northwestern Match | NCAA Division III Tournament Bracket

Head coach Becky Schmidt said Otto, pictured at left, rallied her teammates after an injured defensive specialist Grace Pettinger had to leave the match.

"McKenna said 'We're going to be OK' and really stepped up her blocking and her attacking. She showed a lot of confidence at that point," Schmidt said. "She did that at the end of the match, too. Whitworth had some errors, but they were hitting around a big block that forced them to be challenged."

Hope's defense was instrumental in the Flying Dutch's second consecutive win in an NCAA Tournament opener, Schmidt said.

"(Whitworth) is an amazing team, a very talented team that is well-coached. They've got a lot of weapons that were difficult to stop throughout the match," Schmidt said. "One of the keys to that match was our defensive presence during the match. It started off with blocking, and it snowballed into defensive effort in the corners, making plays off the speed, and hard-driven balls." 

Otto (Wheaton, Illinois / Wheaton North HS) recorded match-highs with 17 kills and six blocks. 

The Flying Dutch trailed 23-18 in the fourth set after Whitworth (21-3) reeled off three consecutive points.

Otto started Hope's match-clinching rally with a block for a point. 

Then, Otto twice followed two Whitworth attack errors by slamming home sets from senior setter Tracy Westra (Clarendon Hills, Illinois / Timothy Christian) to give the Flying Dutch their first match point.

Whitworth fended off one match point with the last of Madison Lee's 13 kills. 

A Westra kill to the corner set up a second match point. This time, freshmen Samantha Seib (Elkhorn, Wisconsin / Catholic Central) delivered a service ace to close the match.

"This team has a lot of fight and a lot of love for each other," Otto said. "We're going to step out on the court every day like it's our last match."

Senior Liz Cutlip, pictured right, who replaced Pettinger's spot on the court, delivered in a critical moment, Schmidt said.

Cutlip (Middleville, Michigan / Thornapple-Kellogg) served six times on Hope's game-ending run. Cutlip also recorded five digs.

"Liz was really bringing some good defense," Cutlip said. "We had great communication out of her. She played with a lot of poise."

Outside hitter Ana Grunewald contributed 15 kills with a .400 hitting percentage. The senior from Grand Rapids, Michigan (East Grand Rapids) also made nine digs, second-highest on the team behind sophomore libero Maggie Wehrmeyer's 19.

"Ana swung at the ball faster than she has all season. That just fires me up," Schmidt said.

Junior middle blocker Charlotte Brecht (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan / Grosse Pointe South) added nine kills.

Westra collected 44 assists.