by Dena Meiste

The Hope College women's volleyball team went 1-1 on Saturday to conclude play at the NCAC-MIAA Battle at the Point in Sandusky, Ohio. 

The Flying Dutch suffered a narrow 3-2 setback against Wittenberg University (Ohio) before bouncing back to shut out Ohio Wesleyan University, 3-0. 

Hope, ranked seventh in the AVCA Coaches Poll, concludes the second weekend of competition with a 5-1 record.

The Flying Dutch suffered its first loss of the season in dramatic fashion to open the day, climbing out of a two-set deficit against Wittenberg to extend the match to five sets. The Tigers continued to put the pressure on and put a stop to Hope's comeback bid, clinching the set and match at 15-13. Final set scores were 25-19, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25, 15-13.

"Give Wittenberg credit, they found a way to play good volleyball. They did a good job of executing," said head coach Becky Schmidt, now in her 18th season at the helm. "We need to do a better job making our opponent uncomfortable and finding ways to take control of the rally early."

McKenna Otto (Wheaton, Illinois / Wheaton North HS) led all hitters with 20 kills earned at a solid .400 (20 kills-2 errors-45 attempts) attack average, while Grace Pettinger (Mt. Vernon, Iowa / Mt. Vernon), pictured left, picked up a season-high 30 digs.

Outside hitters Ana Grunewald (Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) and Rose Thompson (Coopersville, Michigan / Unity Christian) both reached double-digit kills totals with 16 and 14, respectively. Additionally, Grunewald picked up 14 digs for the double-double. 

Overall, the Tigers and Flying Dutch matched each other on the attack, both hitting .260. Wittenberg won the battle at the service line, however, dropping five aces and committing just six errors. Hope earned eight service aces but also gave up 12 points on service errors. 

Hope showed its depth and bounced right back in the next match against Ohio Wesleyan, with 12 different players scoring for Hope en route to the lop-sided 25-12, 25-16, 25-11 triumph. 

Molly Ligon (Beverly Hills, Michigan / Birmingham Seaholm) and Otto both put down nine kills to pace the offense, followed by Tracy Westra (Clarendon Hills, Illinois / Timothy Christian) with four kills, three service aces and a block. 

The senior setter also distributed 33 assists to lift the team to a .364 (44 kills-12 errors-88 attempts) hitting percentage. The Battling Bishops managed to hit just above even with 20 kills earned at a .011 clip.

Hope outdug OWU 44-27, led by Pettinger with 17. After this weekend, the senior defensive specialist is averaging a team-best 3.62 digs/set.

Hope hosts Muskingum University, Cornell College, and Dominican University inside the DeVos Fieldhouse next weekend, Sept. 17-18, marking the Flying Dutch's first home matches of the season.

"We cannot wait to play in front of our fans, in front of our community," beamed Schmidt. "Last season we were only able to let parents and some students attend matches, so we are looking forward to playing in front of the home crowd again. The girls are excited to feel that energy on the court and we are just so thankful for the community we get to play in front of."

The Flying Dutch open the weekend with a 7 p.m. match on Friday evening, before hitting the court on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.