by Alan Babbitt

The Hope College volleyball team excelled on the court last fall and in the classroom during the 2021-22 school year.

The MIAA champion Flying Dutch earned the United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 14th consecutive season and 15th time overall.

Led by head coach Becky Schmidt, Hope won the MIAA during the 2021 season with an 8-0 league record. Hope reached the regionals finals of the NCAA Division III Tournament and finished with a 25-5 overall record.

The Flying Dutch placed ninth in the AVCA Division III poll for the second consecutive season.

Hope is one of 1,213 college and high school teams honored this year.

The Flying Dutch's team GPA finished among the top 20 percent of Division III women's teams.