The Hope College women's volleyball team picked up a second split on the final day of the Hope College Tournament on Saturday at DeVos Fieldhouse, sweeping Bluffton University before dropping a four-set battle to Carthage College.
Against Bluffton, the Flying Dutch (9-5) took down Bluffton in 25-18, 25-21, 25-12.
Hope surged out of the gate in set one, jumping out to an early 6-0 lead fueled by four early kills from senior Kamryn Burbridge (Grand Haven, Michigan / Grand Haven HS). Bluffton trimmed the deficit mid-set, but service aces from sophomore Brooke Hehl (Rochester Hills, Michigan / Lutheran Northwest) helped restore control as the Flying Dutch pulled away late for a 25-18 opening win.
The Beavers fought back in the second set, leading by as many as four points early on. Hope reeled them in behind consecutive sets from Hehl to Burbridge and a late 4-0 run to close out the set, 25-21.
In set three, Hope hit a blistering .353 as a team. After an early back-and-forth, the Flying Dutch went on a 5-0 run with Hehl serving to put the set out of reach. Sophomore Kiera Morrison (Bartlett, Illinois / Wheaton Academy) capped off the match with a service ace and set up Hehl for the final kill to seal the 25-12 victory.
Burbridge led the Hope attack with a game-high 17 kills while hitting .481. Hehl directed the offense with 34 assists, six kills, four digs, two service aces, and one block. Freshman Maddie Ostrander (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) added six kills and three block assists at the net.
On defense, senior Kathryn Oates (Liberty Township, Ohio / Cincinnati Christian) posted a match-high 19 digs, while freshman Emma Flick (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) contributed 10 digs.
In the afternoon finale, the Flying Dutch were edged in a tightly contested, falling to Carthage 23-25, 25-17, 24-26, 21-25.
Set one featured tight action throughout. Hope held a 21-21 tie late following a Carthage error, but the Firebirds scored four of the final six points to claim the opener 25-23.
The Flying Dutch answered strongly in set two, hitting .361. Trailing 11-10, Hope orchestrated a crucial 8-2 surge spearheaded by two service aces from sophomore Amelia Gagnon (Belmont, Michigan / Grand Rapids West Catholic) and kills from Hehl and sophomore Ella Deklyen (Jenison, Michigan / Tri-unity Christian) to build a 18-13 lead. Gagnon later served an ace on set point to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 win.
The third set was a nail-biter that went to extra points. Hope erased a late deficit to knot the game at 24-24 following a block from Ostrander and Hehl, but Carthage recorded consecutive blocks to steal the set 26-24.
In the fourth set, Hope rallied from a 20-16 deficit to tie the game at 20-20 following a 4-0 run. However, Carthage halted the momentum with four straight points to earn match point before closing out the set 25-21.
Burbridge once again paced the Flying Dutch attack with 20 kills and seven total blocks (two solo, five assists). Hehl dished out a game-high 43 assists while adding 12 digs and seven kills, while Deklyen reached double digits with 10 kills.
Defensively, Oates collected 26 digs, while Gagnon notched a double-double with 24 digs, five kills, and four service aces. Ostrander chipped in five blocks and four kills.
Hope is back in action next in the MIAA opener on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. at Trine University.
