Volleyball Enters NCAA Championship Match "With Gratitude and Freedom"

For one last time this season, the Hope College volleyball team steps onto the court together this afternoon.

A memory-packed trek beginning in the Gateway City of St. Louis, Missouri, led the Flying Dutch to Roberts Pavilion in Claremont, California, nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Second-ranked Hope (32-0) is in search of an NCAA Division III national championship, with one last opponent standing in the Flying Dutch's way.

Top-ranked and defending national champ Juniata College (Pa.) — riding a 61-match winning streak — is waiting. It could be an epic finale to the 2023 season. The first serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. Pacific / 7 p.m. Eastern. The match will be streamed on ncaa.com.

The moment is filled with anticipation and excitement, with a few nerves, too. Libero Olivia Fiebing — Hope's lone senior — said she and her teammates are embracing all that comes with today.

"We already have everything we could ask for, national championship game or not. I think that's pretty cool," Fiebing said. "I think that allows us to enter this moment with gratitude and freedom."

Teammate Addie VanderWeide — the 2023 AVCA Co-National Player of the Year — agrees.

"We've worked for this all season, even grinded during the tournament," VanderWeide said, referring to Hope's NCAA-record four consecutive five-set victories in postseason play. "I'm just really excited. We get to play with some of our best friends ever. We get to play together and keep playing this sport we love and be competitive."

Hope is aiming to become the 10th Division III program to win multiple national titles. The Flying Dutch earned their first NCAA championship in 2014 with a five-set victory against Emory University (Ga.) in Newport News, Va.

Juniata is a member of that elite club. The Eagles, members of the Landmark Conference, previously won national titles in 2022, 2006 and 2004.

This season, Juniata is 34-0 after defeating New York University in the national semifinals in three sets and Trinity University (Texas) in four sets in the national quarterfinals.

Hope knows how formidable Juniata is. The Flying Dutch lost to Juniata in four sets in the 2022 national quarterfinals in Pittsburgh. Juniata's last loss came on Sept. 16, 2022, at Trinity during a regular-season match — 442 days ago.

"They're really good," head coach Becky Schmidt said. "They have got some dynamic hitters. They play really aggressive defense. They're strong at the net and they're a tough-serving team."

The Flying Dutch are formidable themselves, displaying a skill and mettle throughout the NCAA Championships that included five-set victories this week against NCAA Championships hosts Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the national semifinals and Johns Hopkins University (Md.) in the national quarterflnals.

Two weeks ago, Hope won five-set thrillers at DeVos Fieldhouse against Transylvania University (Ky.) in the regional finals and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the regional semifinals.

Previously, only Hendrix College (Ark.) had ever won three consecutive five-set matches in the NCAA Championships, back in 2004.

"One of the things we have taken a lot of pride in is getting in and mixing it up," Schmidt said. "It doesn't have to be clean volleyball for us to be able to be in our element. We're going to go in there and mix it up. We're going to put pressure on them to see if they can stay clean and we're going to continue to find ways to be aggressive and hold our own.

"I've got a tremendous amount of trust in these women. I think it's going to be a great match."

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Players Mentioned

#14 Olivia Fiebing: DS; 5' 5"; Senior; Political Science

#22 Addie VanderWeide: OH; 6' 1"; Junior; Business

Players Mentioned

#14 Olivia Fiebing
: 5' 5"; Senior; Political Science
: DS

#22 Addie VanderWeide
: 6' 1"; Junior; Business
: OH

Players Mentioned

#14 Olivia Fiebing

#22 Addie VanderWeide

Players Mentioned

#14 Olivia Fiebing

#22 Addie VanderWeide