The 18th-ranked Hope College volleyball team stayed in control from start to finish Thursday night, sweeping No. 22-ranked Carnegie Mellon University in straight sets (25-16, 25-17, 26-24) at the Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

The Flying Dutch improved to 5-4 on the season.

Hope finished with 41 kills as a team at a .246 hitting percentage. Defensively, the Flying Dutch held Carnegie Mellon (9-3) to .173. hitting.

Senior Brooke Fox (Saunemin, Illinois / Pontiac Township HS) led the offense with nine kills, while senior Kate Luurtsema (Alto, Michigan / South Christian) and junior Kamryn Burbridge (Grand Haven, Michigan / Grand Haven) each added eight. Sophomore Olivia Wyma (Hartland, Wisconsin / Arrowhead) chipped in seven kills and three blocks in the middle.

Senior Lauren Lee (Plymouth, Michigan / Skyline) directed the attack with 33 assists and added seven digs, while junior Kathryn Oates (Liberty Township, Ohio / Cincinnati Christian) anchored the defense with 19 digs and two aces.

Freshman Amelia Gagnon (Belmont, Michigan / Grand Rapids West Catholic) and senior Tess Herendeen (Fort Wayne, Indiana / Homestead) also sparked the back row. 

Hope wasted no time setting the tone in the opening set. Early kills from senior Ella Contant (Elmhurst, Illinois / York Community) and Burbridge, paired with an ace by Herendeen, helped the Flying Dutch build momentum. A late surge capped by kills from Burbridge and Fox closed out a 25-16 win.

The second set featured more of the same balance. Wyma and Fox sparked a 6-1 run midway through, while Gagnon delivered a service ace to push Hope's lead further. Wyma and Contant combined for a block on a set point, sealing a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 match lead.

Carnegie Mellon put up its toughest fight in the third. The Tartans tied the set five different times, including late at 24-24. But the Flying Dutch answered. Luurtsema broke the deadlock with a kill, and Oates followed with a clutch service ace to clinch the sweep, 26-24.

Hope continues the road trip this weekend in Washington, D.C. at the Gallaudet University Tournamen. The Flying Dutch's first two matches on Friday, Sept. 19, will be against the University of California, Santa Cruz at 4 p.m. and against Gallaudet at 8 p.m.