A new Hope College volleyball opponent brought a back-and-forth national quarterfinal that featured 13 ties and nine lead changes on Wednesday - in just the first set.

The second-ranked Flying Dutch countered the 11th-ranked Generals' strategy and devised the winning plan to advance to the national semifinals for the second consecutive season. 

Led by a diverse attack, Hope conquered Washington and Lee University (Virginia) in straight sets, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20, at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. The Flying Dutch (29-2) hit over 300 as a team for the second time in the NCAA Tournament and the 14th time this season.

Head coach Becky Schmidt praised her American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American setter for helping get the Generals out of system.

"Lauren Lee did a really great job of being able to distribute the ball around the court," said Schmidt. "That put our hitters in positions for them to be successful."

Hope advanced to face No. 1 Juniata College (Pennsylvania), a familiar foe, on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The Eagles topped No. 13 University of La Verne (California) in four sets in one of four quarterfinal matchups. 

Juniata is on an NCAA-record 95-match winning streak that included victories over the Flying Dutch during the 2024 regular season at DeVos Fieldhouse, the 2023 national championship match and the 2022 national quarterfinals.

Hope, directed by Lee (Plymouth, Michigan / Skyline HS), used a balanced offense to down the Generals. The Flying Dutch hit .308 as a team and three different players finished in double-digit kills.

Lee, a 2024 AVCA First Team All-American, finished with a match-high 45 assists. The closely contested matchup saw Hope lead by no more than five points in a set.

"Lauren makes my life a lot easier, she is super talented, and so many of us had so many kills and that is just a testament of the kind of setter Lauren is," said senior Alison DeWeerd (Kentwood, Michigan / South Christian), who totaled 12 kills and a .417 hitting percentage. "She is going to continue to spread the ball because she knows that is what is going to work."

Senior Addie VanderWeide (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian) hit .351 and finished with a match-high 17 kills. Annie Lockett (Mason, Ohio / William Mason), a 2024 AVCA Third Team American, knocked down 12 kills at a .370 clip.

Hope grabbed the final three points of the match in a row, with VanderWeide and Lockett each sandwiching kills around Washington and Lee attack errors. 

"I thought that we did a really nice job of getting them a little dysrhythmic and putting them into some difficult spots to be able to get their feet set up again and I think our hitters found some really great angles," said Schmidt. 

Defensively, senior Samantha Seib (Elkhorn, Wisconsin / Catholic Central) led Hope with 17 digs, while VanderWeide tallied 14.

Hope's national semifinal appearance is the fourth in program history, joining teams from 2023, 2014 and 2009. The Flying Dutch went on to win the 2014 national title in Newport News, Virginia.