CKSR (Calvin Knight Saturday Sports Report For October 24, 2015)

CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR OCT. 24, 2015

Men's Soccer Clinches Share of MIAA Regular Season Title;
Women's Soccer Stretches Unbeaten Streak to 15;
Volleyball Team Clinches Share of MIAA Regular Season Crown;
Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Teams Compete at MIAA Relays

MEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 5, Adrian 0

Adrian, Mich. - The No. 3 ranked Calvin men's soccer team clinched a share of its ninth consecutive MIAA regular season title with a 5-0 win at Adrian Saturday night. The MIAA title is the 25th overall for the Calvin men's soccer program.

The Knights (16-0-1 overall, 12-0-0 MIAA) were in high gear against the host Bulldogs, firing 23 shots at goal while giving up only six.

Calvin took a 2-0 lead at halftime behind the strong play of senior defender Nick Groenewold (Oak Brook, IL/Timothy Christian HS) who carried the play into the offensive attack. Groenewold gave Calvin a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute as he carried the ball from the defensive end to the offensive zone and ripped a shot from the top of the box for his sixth goal of the season. Just over two minutes later, Groenewold joined the rush again and chipped a lead pass to junior Stephan Hooker (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) who calmly tucked a shot inside the near post to give the Knights a 2-0 lead. The goal was the eighth of the year for Hooker.

In the second half, sophomore Mitch Stark (South Lyon/South Lyon HS) slotted a shot into the corner on a feed from Hooker in the 52nd minute. Stark then set up senior Sam Hanover (St. Johns/St. Johns HS) for a goal in the 61st minute. Calvin completed the scoring in the 73rd minute as sophomore Micah Beard (Otsego/Otsego HS) knocked in his 10th goal of the season, converting a feed from sophomore Matt Hinds (Frankenmuth/Frankenmuth HS).

Senior Niko Giantsopoulos (Markham, Ont./St. Augustine Catholic HS) collected one save in posting his 11th shutout of the season including the 23rd of his Calvin career.

"I was very pleased with our performance tonight. It was a strong team effort," said Calvin men's soccer coach Ryan Souders. "I think the key right now is not taking our foot off the gas pedal. We have a very challenging game coming up at Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo is a tough team that is very well-coached. We will have to be at the top of our game when we travel to their place next week."

Calvin will face Kalamazoo next Wednesday in a game slated to start at 7 p.m. The Hornets currently trail the Knights by six points in the league standings with two regular season games left for each team. Calvin edged Kalamazoo 1-0 in overtime earlier this year.

MIAA MEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS THROUGH 10-24-15 GAMES

Calvin 12-0-0
Kalamazoo 10-2-0
Alma 7-4-1
Hope 4-7-1
Trine 4-8-0
Adrian 3-8-1
Olivet 3-8-1
Albion 3-9-0

WOMEN'S SOCCER
Calvin 4, St. Mary's 0

Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Calvin women's soccer team celebrated Senior Day with a 4-0 victory over the visiting Belles of Saint Mary's College. The Knights are now 14-2-1 overall and on top of the MIAA standings with a 12-0-1 conference mark. Calvin also has an unbeaten streak of 15 games heading into the final stretch of the MIAA regular season.

Senior Paige Capel (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) was the catalyst for Calvin in the win, scoring a pair of first half goals that sparked the Knights. The goals were the eighth and ninth of the season for Capel who now has 42 in her career, ranking 7th on the Calvin career list.

Capel put the Knights on the board in the 16th minute, dribbling to the edge of the Adrian box, beating a defender with a move and then smashing a strike over the keeper's head. In the 22nd minute, Capel slid over to the left wing and belted a shot off a feed from freshman Mackenna Nesky (Hudsonville/Unity Christian HS) just inside the far post to give Calvin a 2-0 lead.

Calvin then salted the game away early in the second half as Nesky blasted in rebound shot in the 57th minute for her second goal of the year. Two minutes later, senior Taylor TenHarmsel (Holland/Holland Christian HS) was able to head in a corner kick from senior teammate Kelsey Hiegel (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein HS) to put the Knights up 4-0. The goal was the eighth of the year for TenHarmsel.

Calvin held a 21-11 shots at goal advantage. Senior goalkeeper Holly Ellerbroek (Holland/Holland Christian HS) had three saves in 59 minutes of action while freshman Brianna Koehn (Grand Rapids/Forest Hills Eastern HS) went the final 31 to seal the shutout.

"I don't think we were particularly sharp as a team today," said Calvin women's soccer coach Mark Recker. "I think the key was the energy that Paige Capel brought early in the game. We have told her that now is the time for her to step up and she is doing exactly that. She made a couple of critical runs for us in the first half. Without them, the complexion of this game could have been much different."

Calvin will now prepare for a difficult three-game road slate to close out the MIAA regular season. The Knights will travel to Alma on Tuesday (4 p.m.) and to Olivet next Saturday (2:30 p.m.) and then close out the regular season on November 2 at Hope (6 p.m.).

MIAA WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS THROUGH 10-24-15

Calvin 12-0-1
Hope 11-1-2
Olivet 8-4-1
Kalamazoo 8-5-1
Alma 6-6-1
Albion 6-7-0
Adrian 1-8-4
Saint Mary's 2-10-1
Trine 0-13-1

VOLLEYBALL
Calvin 3, Alma 0
(by Paul Kluitenberg)

Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Knights had a strong afternoon on the court beating the Scots of Alma College in straight sets 25-16, 25-19, 25-11. The No. 4 ranked Knights improved their overall record to 24-3 and 14-0 in the MIAA. With the win, Calvin also clinches a share of the MIAA regular season title - its 21st in program history. The Knights also clinch the top seed for the upcoming MIAA Tournament.
Both teams looked evenly matched at the beginning of the first set. With the set tied at 8-8, Sophomore Jenna Lodewyk (Villa Park, Ill. / Timothy Christian) had a kill assisted by Keilahna Castillo (Grandville, Mich. / Grandville) that kick-started a 12-4 Knights run. Senior Jamie Kooiman (Eugene, Ore. / South Eugene) highlighted the run with a six serve streak including one ace. Laura Danhoff (Willard, Ohio / Willard) concluded the first set with two consecutive aces. The Knights finished the first set with a 12-7 kill advantage and five service aces.
The second set proved to be more of a challenge for Calvin. Alma held the lead through the first 13 points of the game keyed by four kills from Hannah Guilford (Hartland, Mich. / Hartland) and six errors by the Knights. Calvin responded with a six point run highlighted by two kills from Maggie Kamp (Orland Park, Ill. / Chicago Christian). The Knights eked out a 14-11 kill advantage and ended the set on an 8-5 run giving the Knights a 25-19 victory.
Calvin took the third and final set with ease, 25-11. Maggie Kamp put together six of the Knights 13 kills in the final set. The Knights played almost error free with only one attack error and one service error. A kill by Rachel Lubben (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Grand Rapids Christian) put the Knights up 15-8 and ended any hopes of victory for Alma. Calvin ended on a 10-3 run highlighted by an emphatic service ace from Kristen Vyletel (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Ann Arbor Huron).
The Knights tallied a total of 39 kills to Alma's 25. Maggie Kamp had 12 kills, followed by Laura Danhoff with 8, and Rachel Lubben with 7. Laura Danhoff turned in an impressive afternoon with 3 service aces and 2 solo blocks.
Calvin will return to action Friday, October 30 at Adrian College at 6:30 p.m.

MIAA VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS THROUGH 10-24-15

Calvin 14-0
Hope 12-2
Trine 8-6
Adrian 7-6
Saint Mary's 6-7
Alma 6-7
Albion 4-9
Olivet 3-10
Kalamazoo 0-13

MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin men won 10 of the 12 relays on Saturday at the MIAA Relays.
The Knights started the day taking first in the 200 medley relay. The team of freshman Ben Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant), senior Johnson Cochran (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon), freshman Jared Britton (Falls Church, Va./George Mason) and senior Mitch Schroder (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) finished at 1:36.06.
"I thought that they came in with their enthusiasm from yesterday," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "The men showed some dominance, winning most of the relays today. Honestly the most important thing was to see the team on the deck. We continue to improve communicating with each other and working through a meet."
Calvin took first in the 200 backstroke relay. The team of sophomore Tanner Vincent (Novi, Mich./Novi), Ben Holstege, freshman Andrew Kasper (Batava, Ill./Marmion Academy) and sophomore Skyler Fish (Ionia, Mich./Ionia) touched the wall at 1:39.56.
The Calvin men notched another victory in the 200 breaststroke relay. The team of junior Eli Holstege (Keswick, Va./Covenant), Johnson Cochran, freshman Jacob Lensing (Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian) and sophomore Grant Drukker Bedford, N.H./Bedford) recorded a time of 1:50.08.
The Calvin victory streak continued in the 500 freestyle progressive relay. The team of Jared Britton, Mitch Schroder, senior Brandon Muma (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Eastern) and Andrew Kasper clocked in at 4:12.18.
The 200 butterfly relay was Calvin take first place once again. The team of Tanner Vincent, Jared Britton, Brandon Muma and Eli Holstege finished at 1:35.81.
The trio of senior Caleb Meindertsma (Annandale, Va./Trinity Christian), Andrew Kasper and freshman Stephen Barrett (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) took first place in the 1500 freestyle relay at 15:01.82.
In the 100 butterfly relay, the team of Ben Holstege, Jared Britton, Eli Holstege and Brandon Muma finished first at 41.63.
The 100 breaststroke relay saw the Knights come up with another Calvin victory. The team of Eli Holstege, Johnson Cochran, Jacob Lensing and Grant Dukker recorded a time of 48.71.
Calvin took first place in the 100 freestyle relay. The team of Eli Holstege, Jared Britton, Mitch Schroder and Jacob Lensing locked in at 39.14.
The Knights finished the day with a first-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. The team of Eli Holstege, Jared Britton, and Jacob Lensing finished at 1:27.66.
The Knights return to action next Saturday, Oct. 24, as the Knights host Olivet. The action is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at the Venema Aquatic Center.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Calvin women won three of the 12 relays on Saturday at the MIAA Relays.
The Knights picked up their first victory in the day in the 100 backstroke relay. The team of freshman Daniella Sugijanto Walnut Creek, Calif./Northgate), freshman Lauren Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Fremont), freshman Anna Serino (Pinckney, Mich./Pinckney) and senior Megan Schroder (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) finished at 52.26.
"I thought that they came in with their enthusiasm from yesterday," said head coach Dan Gelderloos. "The women showed that they can put up a fight in every single race. We were probably the most consistent from top to bottom today. Honestly the most important thing was to see the team on the deck. We continue to improve communicating with each other and working through a meet."
Calvin had a first-place finish in the 100 freestyle relay. The team of sophomore Rachel Mattson (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor Huron), Daniella Sugijanto, Megan Schroder and sophomore Abby VanHarn (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) recorded a time of 45.58. The four would also finish the match winning the 200 freestyle relay, with a first-place time of 1:39.98.
The Knights took second place in five events on Saturday.
The Knights return to action next Saturday, Oct. 24, as the Knights host Olivet. The action is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at the Venema Aquatic Center.
Received on Sat Oct 24 23:15:25 2015