CALVIN KNIGHT SPORTS REPORT FOR NOV. 25, 2015
Men's Soccer Set to Compete in NCAA III Tournament Semifinals in Kansas City;
Volleyball Ranked Sixth in Final AVCA Division III Top 25 Poll;
Men's Basketball Set to Compete in Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Tournament - Alumni Ticket Offer Available for Saturday Night
MEN'S SOCCER
The four-team field for the NCAA III Tournament semifinals in men's soccer is set. Amherst C(17-1-1) will take on Oneonta State (19-3-1) in the first semifinal on December 4 at 6 p.m. (EDT) with Calvin (24-0-1) set to face Loras (17-4-1) in the second semifinal at 8:30 p.m. (EDT).
The winners of the semifinal contests will meet in the national championship final on December 5 at 6:30 p.m. (EDT).
All games will be played on the championship field at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.
Calvin will be making its third appearance in the NCAA III Tournament semifinals, having advanced in 2009 and 2011. Calvin defeated Dominican University 1-0 in the 2009 semifinal and Oneonta State 4-2 in the 2011 semifinal.
Calvin and Loras (Ia.) will be meeting each other for the second time in NCAA III Tournament play. Calvin defeated the DuHawks 4-0 in the second round of the 2011 NCAA III Tournament.
Calvin is making its first appearance in the NCAA III semifinals under current head coach Ryan Souders. Heading into Calvin's game against Loras, Souders has fashioned a career won-loss record of 72-11-6 for a winning percentage of .831. Souders has led Calvin to four consecutive MIAA regular season titles, three MIAA Tournament crowns and three NCAA III Tournament berths.
Calvin is making its 14th trip to the NCAA III Tournament including its eighth in the last nine years. Calvin is 16-12-8 all-time in the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin is 6-2 in penalty kick shootouts in the NCAA III Tournament.
At 24-0-1, Calvin has produced the first 20-win campaign in school history. Calvin's previous high-water mark for victories took place in 1991 (19-2-1) and 2011 (19-6-2).
Calvin senior goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos is in the midst of a sensational senior campaign, producing a won-loss record of 24-0-1 and a goals-against-average of 0.204. He is second nationally in goals-against-average and has established a new NCAA III single-season record for shutouts in a season with 19 this fall. In addition, he has a saves percentage of .912 that ranks second nationally.
Calvin leads the country in shutout percentage (0.80), team goals-against-average (0.20) and win percentage (.980). Calvin is also ranked eighth in scoring offense (3.24), fifth in assists-per-game (2.76) and third in total goals (81).
More information on the Kansas City Swope Soccer Village can be found online at: http://kcparks.org/recreation/swopesoccervillag/
VOLLEYBALL
The Calvin women's volleyball team has been ranked sixth in the final AVCA Division III Top 25 poll of the year.
National champion Cal Lutheran finished in the top spot followed by Wittenberg in second, Carthage in third, Washington University of St. Louis fourth, Juniata fifth and Calvin sixth.
Calvin finished the year with an overall record of 30-4 as the Knights captured MIAA regular season and MIAA Tournament titles while reaching the regional finals of the NCAA III Tournament.
At 30-4, Calvin reached the 30-win plateau for the 15th time in school history and for the ninth time under current head coach Amber Warners.
The final 2015 AVCA Division III Top 25 poll can be found online at: http://www.avca.org/divisions/division-three-women/poll-11-24-15/
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The Calvin men's basketball team will compete in the 20th annual Grand Rapids Sports 'Hall of Fame Classic this weekend at Cornerstone University. Calvin will take on Cornerstone on Friday at 8 p.m. and then take on Aquinas at 6 p.m. Each night will feature a doubleheader of games as Aquinas and Hope will meet at 6 p.m. on Friday with Hope set to face Cornerstone Saturday night at 8 p.m.
All games will be played at Cornerstone's Mol Arena.
Calvin is 17-15 all-time in the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Tournament. The Knights will bring a 2-1 record into the weekend. The defending NAIA Division II national champion, Cornerstone will bring a 6-1 record into the tournament while Aquinas comes in at 6-2 and Hope at 2-0.
Ticket information can be found on the Cornerstone website at: https://www.cornerstone.edu/events/grand-rapids-sports-hall-of-fame-classic/
On Saturday, alumni of all four schools can use a special alumni discount for a group of four. The alumni discount coupon can be found on the Cornerstone website at: https://www.cornerstone.edu/files/resources/20151113-athletics-coupons.pdf
Received on Wed Nov 25 22:31:05 2015
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