The Hope College volleyball team showed its trademark grit on Friday afternoon but fell just short in a five-set battle against the University of Chicago at the Kolf Sports Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The Maroons claimed the match 25-21, 25-22, 14-25, 22-25, 15-8 to hand the eighth-ranked Flying Dutch their second loss of the season. Chicago (4-3) topped the teams outside the American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III Top 25 who received votes.
Senior Brooke Fox (Saunemin, Illinois / Pontiac Township HS) led Hope's attack with a match-high 18 kills and added two service aces.
Senior Lauren Lee (Plymouth, Michigan / Skyline) turned in a double-double with 41 assists and 16 digs, while sophomore Olivia Wyma (Heartland, Wisconsin / Arrowhead) contributed eight kills and a team-high seven blocks.
Junior Kamryn Burbridge (Grand Haven, Michigan / Grand Haven) chipped in seven kills and four blocks.
Defensively, junior Kathryn Oates (Liberty Township, Ohio / Cincinnati Christian) anchored the back row with 27 digs, part of Hope's 83 as a team.
The Flying Dutch also totaled 12 team blocks and 10 aces, showing strength across the court despite the narrow defeat.
Chicago jumped out quickly in set one, using a 6-1 run midway through the set to build a lead that Hope could not quite erase despite a late push.
In set two, the Flying Dutch hung close, erasing a 17-12 deficit with four straight points to pull within one. The Maroons answered back with timely sideouts, however, to hold on for a 25-22 win and a 2-0 match lead.
Hope responded emphatically in the third set. Behind strong serving and sharp hitting, the Flying Dutch opened with a 10-4 advantage and never looked back. A 7-1 run midway through the set, capped by a kill from Fox, widened the margin to double digits as Hope rolled to a 25-14 victory.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle that featured eight ties. Hope turned a slim 17-16 lead into breathing room with a 4-1 spurt, highlighted by kills from Wyma and Burbridge.
The Flying Dutch closed it out 25-22 to force the decisive fifth set. In the finale, Chicago and Hope traded points early before the Maroons broke away with a 6-1 run to go ahead 11-6. The Flying Dutch closed the gap to three on a Fox kill, but Chicago finished the set with four of the final five points to secure the match.
Hope returns to the court with two matches on Saturday, Sept. 13, taking on No. 5 University of La Verne (California) at 9 a.m. Central and then host and No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 1 p.m. Central.
