CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR NOV. 20, 2010
Volleyball Advances to National Title Match;
Men's Soccer Falls to UW-Oshkosh 1-0 in National Quarterfinals;
Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams Post Top-10 Finishes at NCAAs;
Men's and Women's Basketball Recaps
VOLLEYBALL
Calvin 3, Juniata 2 (14-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-12)
ST. LOUIS, MO - November 20, 2010 – No. 10 Calvin College erased a 2-0 deficit
to come all the way back and defeat No. 3 Juniata College, 3-2 (14-25, 17-25,
25-23, 25-22, 15-12) in the 2010 NCAA Division III volleyball semifinals on
Saturday, Nov. 20, at the Washington University Field House in St. Louis, Mo.
Calvin (31-4) advances to the national championship for the second time in
program history. Calvin also played in the 1986 finals, falling to UC-San Diego
in five sets at the Calvin Fieldhouse. Calvin will face No. 1 Emory University
on MONDAY, Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. (EST). Emory defeated host Washington University
in four sets in Saturday’s second semifinal match..
The Knights trailed Juniata 0-2 and were down 16-8 in the third set before
mounting a comeback that permanently changed the complexion of the match.
A Renee DeHann and Lizzie Kamp block of a Drew Barnhart shot cut Juniata’s
lead to just two points in the third, and the Knights trailed by just one,
21-20, thanks to back-to-back kills from Megan Rietema and Lizzie Kamp.
Juniata’s Kelsey Fuller was blocked by Lizzie Kamp and DeHaan on the next
play, resulting in a tie score, and the Knights used another kill from DeHaan
to complete the comeback and retake the lead.
DeHaan had four kills to lead Calvin in its third-set win and the Knights
attacked .412 as a team after hitting below .200 through the first two sets.
Rebecca Kamp led made sure the momentum stayed with the Knights to start the
fourth set, tallying three kills and two blocks to help Calvin jump out to a
6-0 lead. Juniata survived the opening moments of the fourth and regained the
lead with senior Kristin Noetzel registering three kills over a span of five
points.
The Eagles (34-6) built a 17-13 lead before the see-saw fourth set swung back
in the favor of Calvin. The Knights scored five-straight points to take a
one-point lead. Juniata responded with a 3-0 run to briefly lead by two, but
Calvin took advantage of several Juniata attack errors down the stretch to
force a fifth-set.
Two-straight setter dumps from Juniata’s Steph Strauss helped the Eagles jump
out to a 4-1 lead in the fifth, but Calvin retook a 6-5 lead following a
Noetzel hitting error and led 8-7 at the switchover after Barnhart sent a serve
into the net. Harpster sent a shot wide left on the next play DeHaan notched
her ninth kill to put the Knights up by three, 10-7, and on their way to the
national championship match.
Strong serving from Juniata powered the Eagles to a 2-0 lead early in the
match. Barnhart registered six aces through the first two and a half sets but
was unable to drop a serve in for a score again as Calvin shored up its passing
to neutralize one of Juniata’s greatest team strengths. The Eagles finished
with 16 aces compared to just four for the Knights, but a majority of those
scores came in the first half of the match.
Rebecca Kamp had 17 kills and hit .389 to lead Calvin’s comeback, while Erin
VanderPlas registered 13 kills for a .440 hitting percentage. Juniata saw four
players reach double digit kills, and were led by Barnhart’s 19 kills, six aces
and 12 digs, and Noetzel, who finished with 11 kills and a .450 hitting
percentage.
Strauss was two kills shy of recording a triple double, with 53 assists, 17
digs and eight kills.
Postmatch Press Conference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3oGdixFT4A
Photo Gallery:
http://bearsports.wustl.edu/Sports/Content/Pages/PhotoGalleryDetail.aspx?PhotoSet=Calvin%20vs.%20Juniata
MEN'S SOCCER
UW-OSHKOSH 1, Calvin 0
OSHKOSH, WI - The Calvin men’s soccer season came to an end in the national
quarterfinals Saturday night as the Knights fell 1-0 to the fifth-ranked Titans
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The host Titans (20-0-3) scored the only goal of the game
on a free kick by Tim Stadler in the 61st minute of play. Stadler’s low hard
kick from 25 yards out slipped past a wall of Calvin defenders and into the far
corner of the net to give Oshkosh a 1-0 lead.
Calvin (16-3-5) threatened inside the final 20 minutes with its best chance
coming with just over 10 minutes remaining on a blast from the left wing by
senior Scott Hooker (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) that just sailed over the
far post.
The loss came one night after Calvin had pulled out a thrilling 9-8 penalty
kick shootout against Wisconsin-Whitewater in a game that concluded officially
as a 1-1 double-overtime tie.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh finished Saturday’s game with a 13-7 shots at goal
advantage. Calvin senior goalkeeper Ryan Bratt (Silver Spring, MD/Washington
Christian Academy) had seven saves in defeat. Bratt was one of six Calvin
seniors who made their final appearance in a Calvin uniform Saturday night. The
remaining seniors included Hooker, Dan Kmetz (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville
HS), Kyle Billin (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS), Kurt Van Sickel (Pittsburgh,
PA/Trinity Christian HS) and Lucas Wilgenburg (Visalia, CA/Central Valley
Christian HS).
The senior group was part of a class that brought Calvin to back-to-back
appearances in the national quarterfinals and a berth in the 2009 NCAA III
Championship game.
“What a senior class this has been,” said Calvin men’s soccer coach Chris
Hughes after the game. “I think that is why this game hurts so much because it
means saying goodbye to six seniors that we love very dearly and will always
cherish in our program. This entire team has been so wonderful to coach. They
showed great heart throughout the season, even when faced with adversity. I
want to congratulate Wisconsin-Oshkosh and wish them all the best at the NCAA
III Final Four.”
With Saturday’s loss, Calvin is now 9-9-5 all-time in NCAA III Tournament
play. Friday’s shootout win marked the fourth shootout victory in NCAA III
Tournament play for the Knights who are 4-1 all-time in NCAA III Tournament
shootouts. Saturday’s game marked Calvin’s third-ever meeting against
Wisconsin-Oshkosh in men’s soccer. The Titans have now won all three meetings.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
NCAA III CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
(hosted by Wartburg College)
WAVERLY, IA - The Calvin men’s and women’s cross country teams claimed a pair
of top 10 national finishes at the NCAA III Cross Country Championships on
Saturday with the Calvin men finishing eighth with a team score of 277 points
while the Calvin women finished ninth with 354 points.
Junior Nick Kramer (Dyer, IN/Illiana Christian HS) led the Calvin men with a
16th place (24:41) individual finish to claim the first All-America berth of
his Calvin cross country career.
Calvin was unable to place any other runners in the top 50 as the Knights had
hopes of a top four team finish. Sophomore Matt VanderRoest (Ann Arbor/Ann
Arbor Huron HS) was Calvin’s second finisher, placing 59th in a time of 25:12
while junior Dan Kerr was 72nd (25:18), senior Ben VanWyk (Sussex, NJ/High
Point HS) 77th (25:20), sophomore Rhett Morici (St. Charles, IL) 135th (25:40),
senior Alex Wrobel (Arden Hills, MN/Mounds View HS) 158th (25:50) and senior
Jake Christiansen 178th (25:56).
“We were hoping for a little higher finish but a top 10 national finish is
never anything to be ashamed about,” said Calvin head men’s and women’s cross
country coach Brian Diemer. “I thought Nick Kramer ran a brilliant race and the
rest of our guys were solid. The field of runners at a meet like this is
outstanding and in order to stand on the podium (top four), it takes an
outstanding performance.”
On the women’s side, Calvin just missed a pair of All-America (top 35) berths
as junior Jodi Hoekstra (Homer Glen, IL) was 43rd (21:56) and sophomore Alyssa
Penning (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS) 45th (21:56). Senior Gretchen
Braymer (Alymer, PA/Collegiate Academy) also had a strong race, finishing 61st
in a time of 22:06. Rounding out Calvin’s finishers were freshman Alyssa Oram
(Cheboygan, MI) in 174th (22:57), senior Samantha Westveer (East Kentwood HS)
in 186th (23:03), senior Alison Tuuk (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian HS)
in 213th (23:12) and junior Kaitlin Diemer (Caledonia/South Christian HS) in
234th (23:27).
“Jodi Hoekstra and Alyssa Penning ran excellent races,” said Diemer. “With
about 1200 meters, Jodi was in All-America position and Alyssa wasn’t far
behind. They just couldn’t quite find that extra gear to move into the top 35
but they learned a lot from this race and will be the better for it next
year.”
Diemer also had words of appreciation for his two seniors - Gretchen Braymer
and Alison Tuuk - who ran in their final cross country races as Calvin Knights.
Senior Samantha Westveer is expected back next fall as she has an year of
eligibility still remaining.
“Gretchen and Alison have been huge parts of our program over the last four
years and their leadership was key this year. We had a relatively youthful team
this year and they helped fill the leadership void. We would not have won a
conference or regional title this year without them.”
Middlebury won the women’s team title with 185 points, edging Washington
University (MO) by eight points for the title. Wendy Pavlus of St. Lawrence won
the women’s title with a time of 20:49, 11 seconds ahead of runner-up Jennifer
Gossels of Williams College.
On the men’s side, Haverford (PA) dethroned defending champion North Central,
finishing with 87 points, 17 points ahead of North Central. Anders Hulleberg
led Haverford to the title by also winning the individual crown with a time of
24:22, one second ahead of Ben Sathre of St. Thomas (MN).
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 87, Ohio Wesleyan 60
Calvin bounced back from a disappointing loss the night before to Grace Bible
College with an 87-60 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University in the consolation
game of its own Calvin Tipoff Tournament.
Calvin (1-2) shot 57.7 percent from the field in the first half en route to
taking a 45-30 halftime lead. The Knights continued to roll in the second half,
outscoring the Battling Bishops 42-30 to cruise to the double-digit win.
Saturday's contest was the first meeting between Calvin and Ohio Wesleyan since
the 1991-92 season with Calvin know holding a 3-1 series lead.
Sophomore Tom Snikkers (Jenison/Unity Christian HS) had a big game with 18
points, seven rebounds and four assists. For his efforts, Snikkers was named to
the all-tournament team. Sophomore Bryan Powell (Wyoming/Wyoming Park HS)
popped in 15 points and dished out four assists. Senior Brad Schnyders
(Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) added 13 points off the bench. Calvin received
strong bench support as its reserves accounted for 41 points. Ohio Wesleyan was
led in defeat by Greg White with 13 points.
In the championship game, Grace Bible College defeated Heidelberg 76-66. Allen
Durham of Grace Bible College was named the tournament MVP.
Calvin returns to action next Friday and Saturday when it competes at the
Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic at the Sturrus Center on the campus of
Aquinas College. Calvin will open the tournament next Friday against Aquinas at
8 p.m. with Hope and Cornerstone meeting at 6 p.m.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Calvin 65, Heidelberg 40
MILWAUKEE, WI - Calvin bounced back with a 65-40 victory over Heidelberg
College in the consolation game of the Wisconsin-Lutheran Tipoff Tournament
Saturday afternoon. Calvin led 44-16 at halftime and never looked back as the
Knights shot 52.9 percent from the floor in the first half.
Sophomore Allison Wolffis (Muskegon/Mona Shores HS) led Calvin with 18 points
while sophomore Carissa Verkaik (Holland/Holland Christian HS) had another
double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. Junior Jill Thomas (Grand
Rapids/West Catholic HS) also chipped in with 11 points including three baskets
from three-point range.
Calvin limited Heidelberg to 24.1 percent field goal shooting and held a 43-41
rebounding edge.
Calvin returns to action next Friday when it faces cross-town rival Aquinas
College at 5:30 p.m. in a first round game of the Olivet Thanksgiving Classic.
Received on Sun Nov 21 01:10:52 2010
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Sun Nov 21 2010 - 01:10:52 EST