CSR (Volleyball Wins Twice at Midwest Challenge)

CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR OCT. 31, 2008

Volleyball Wins Twice at Midwest Challenge

VOLLEYBALL
(written by Chaz Amidon)

GRAND RAPIDS – The Knights picked up a pair of convincing wins over
Kalamazoo and Baldwin-Wallace on the opening day of the Midwest Challenge, an
annual cross-conference tournament co-hosted by Calvin and Hope.

Freshman Rebecca Kamp (Orland Park, Ill./Chicago Christian) totaled 29 kills
throughout the doubleheader, while senior setter Lauren DeGroot (Tulare,
Calif./Central Valley Christian) dished out 54 assists as the No. 14 Knights
extended their win streak to 12 games, dating back to Oct. 1.

“It was crucial that we played our game,” said Calvin coach Amber Warners.
“I was happy that we stayed focused and carried the momentum and set the
tempo, rather than the other team.”

Calvin toppled Kalamazoo (7-19, 4-11), the sixth-place team in the MIAA, in
the 4:30 p.m. opener, routing the Hornets in straight sets (25-13, 25-13,
25-13).

The Knights ended the first set on a 5-0 run and jumped out to a momentous
10-1 lead in the second, stifling a Kalamazoo team that hit at only a .089 clip
throughout. The third set ended in a 10-2 Calvin run, finalizing a trio of
25-13 wins over the Hornets.

Kamp led the way with 14 kills, while freshman Erin VanderPlas
(Cadillac/Northern Michigan Christian) added six and senior Jessica Garlick
(Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Christian) and junior Sara Kramer (Dyer, Ind./Illiana
Christian) each tacked on five.

Calvin cruised to another flawless victory in the nightcap against
Baldwin-Wallace, sweeping the Yellow Jackets by a final score of 25-13, 25-10,
25-16.

Dubbed as “Dig Pink” night – an event promoting fundraising for breast
cancer research and awareness – the Knights, donning pink warm-up shirts
prior to the start of the game, relied on its outside hitters to jumpstart the
offense. Sophomore Kim Wigboldy (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler Valley Christian)
skewered the Jackets’ defense for seven kills, complementing Kamp’s 15 and
Kramer’s nine in the middle.

“From the beginning…we said you would see us really good at times, and
really bad at times,” said Warners. “All season long, in our goals and
practice plans, our goal has been for them to be consistent. These last two
weeks we have been playing very consistent volleyball.”

DeGroot compiled 36 assists against Baldwin-Wallace, and junior Kelsey Sears
(Traverse City/Traverse City West) came up with 15 digs – the same amount
that she had in the opener against Kalamazoo.

Calvin will face off against Alma tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m., followed by
an afternoon finale at 1:30 p.m. against Heidelberg, a squad listed as the No.
3 team in Great Lakes Region.

MIAA VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 10-31-08

Hope 14-1
Calvin 13-2
Alma 11-4
Saint Mary’s 9-7
Adrian 8-8
Kalamazoo 4-11
Albion 4-11
Trine 4-11

MIDWEST CHALLENGE RESULTS FOR 10-31-08

Calvin d. Kalamazoo 25-13, 25-13, 25-13
Baldwin-Wallace d. Hanover 25-21, 25-12, 26-24
Hope d. Alma 25-12, 28-26, 25-22
Heidelberg d. Manchester 25-22, 25-15, 25-14
Kalamazoo d. Hanover 25-23, 25-23, 15-25, 17-25, 15-12
Calvin d. Baldwin-Wallace 25-13, 25-10, 25-16
Alma d. Manchester 25-23, 25-18, 25-10
Heidleberg d. Hope 23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 14-25, 15-10

Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Fri Oct 31 22:46:45 2008