by Dena Meiste

The No. 7-ranked Hope College volleyball team swept Denison University 25-23, 25-21, 25-19 in its opening match of the NCAC-MIAA Battle at the Point in Sandusky, Ohio on Friday. Senior middle blocker McKenna Otto paced the Flying Dutch with 11 kills and 12 digs.

With the win, Hope improved to a perfect 4-0 on the young season.

Otto, pictured right, hit .417 on the night with 11 kills on 24 swings and just one error. The native of Wheaton, Illinois (Wheaton North HS) also delivered a massive defensive effort, with 12 digs and a match-high six blocks.

Senior outside hitter Ana Grunewald (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) continued to consistently deliver on both sides of the net with 11 kills and nine digs followed by fellow senior pin hitter Rose Thompson (Coopersville, Michigan / Unity Christian) with nine kills.

Tracy Westra (Clarendon Hills, Illinois / Timothy Christian) orchestrated the offense with 36 assists while Grace Pettinger (Mt. Vernon, Iowa / Mt. Vernon) once again paced the defense with a match-leading 13 digs. 

The battle for the opening set was fierce as both teams delivered a strong side-out game. Hope managed to build a three-point advantage at 13-10 – the largest lead by either squad to that point – only to see the Big Red score four of the next six points to go out in front. 

The two sides exchanged the lead twice more before the Dutch went on a late 5-0 run, fueled by kills from Molly Ligon (Beverly Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm), Charlotte Brecht (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan / Grosse Pointe South) and Grunewald, pictured left, to take set point 24-21. Although Denison threatened to come back one more time, another put-away by Ligon clinched the set at 25-23.

With momentum on their side, the Flying Dutch cruised out to a 4-0 lead in set two and continued to control the tempo throughout. The Big Red made a push to tie the stanza at 12-all, but a Westra-Otto block tipped the scales back in Hope's favor once and for all at 14-13. Hope cruised on to the 25-21 win and take a two-set lead. 

Denison was unable to come up with an answer to Hope's strong play and the Dutch continued to roll, taking the set 25-19 to tally the team's third shutout of the season. 

The Big Red, who received votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, fell to 3-3 with the loss. 

Next up at the Cedar Point Sports Center, the Dutch face Cornell College at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, followed by a 3 p.m. contest against Dominican (Ill.) University to wrap the weekend. Live coverage for both matches can be found here.