GRAND RAPIDS - As the rivalry match went longer, the points went longer - and longer.
The fourth set of the Hope-Calvin match took nearly as the previous two combined with how well both defenses kept points alive.
The No. 12 Knights took advantage of a few more of them and held off Hope 24-26, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18 on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Van Noord Arena, in front of 1,187.
"We prepare really well for tiring points. We do challenges during preseason that really help us train for them. It helps us to push and know that when we are in the season, we are in shape enough for long rallies," Calvin senior Tryna VanderZwaag said. "The resilience - that is a big word for us this year - has been big. We have to stay positive. We know we can fight through those long rallies."
Calvin improved to 17-2 and 4-0 in the MIAA. Hope dropped to 15-7 and 4-1 in the MIAA.
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"You never know what is going to happen in The Rivalry, and Hope played very well," Calvin coach Amber Warners said. "This year's rivalry wasn't as dominating hitting-wise as it has in the past, which is an ode to both defenses."
Calvin hit .175 as a team and Hope hit .098. On the flip side, Hope had 93 digs and Calvin had 110, keeping plays alive.
VanderZwaag was all over the floor, finishing with 26 digs, adding to her career total that passed 1,000 last week.
"I am really grateful for Calvin volleyball. It is something that reflects on the program," VanderZwaag said.
The milestone is even more impressive considering the Hamilton native and Holland Christian graduate was a setter for two years before switching to libero.
"I definitely learned a lot last year, but I love defense. I love bringing energy from the back row and support my teammates from all around the court," she said.
The Flying Dutch have had to deal with VanderZwaag all over the floor for four years, which has always been a challenge.
"She plays super steady. She is very disciplined. She was just off the blocker's hand. If we wanted to find an angle, she was just one step away from it," Hope coach Becky Schmidt said.
While Hope won't be upset to see VanderZwaag graduate, the Knights are looking to use up every ounce of her scrappiness for one last run.
"She is a really good libero, but what she is the best at is the way she leads and the spark she gives," Warners said. "She is really good at reading and I am happy she has owned that spot. She was MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and has a really wicked sever. I was honored she picked our program. She is one of the best people I have coached, and I have coached a lot of really good people. She is just so humble and so giving. I wish she could be a freshman again."
The match
Hope came out energized and took the first set 26-24 with some key late blocks by Kamryn Burbridge.
The Knights answered in the second set, making the most of keeping Hope out of system with strong serving.
Calvin opened a 17-8 lead in the third as everything they did seemed to turn into a point. The service was strong and the Knights were finding their spots with powerful kills. Meanwhile, Hope was completely out of rhythm and made several unforced errors, leading to a 25-21 Knights win.
The fourth saw Hope return fire with a 10-5 lead behind a barrage of hitters putting the ball down. The Knights rallied to tie it 12-12 after their blocking picked up big time.
Calvin won a couple marathon points with multiple blocks to pull ahead 21-17.
The Knights continued to take advantage of longer points and hung on to win 25-18 and close the match 3-1.
By the numbers
Sarah Bradley posted 25 kills and Allison Moore had 14. Freshman Kate Van Appledorn, a Holland native and Holland Christian graduate, had six kills and three blocks. Olivia Peterson tallied 36 assists.
Burbridge led Hope with 17 kills and hit .359. Bot the rest of the team hit less than .075. Angie Butler had 11 kills and Maddie Ostrander had eight. Kathryn Oates had 24 digs and Amelia Gagnon had 20. Brooke Hehl dished out 40 assists and added 15 digs.
"I thought that Calvin's defense was a step ahead of us the entire night. Their block did a good job setting up and their defenders looked like they had good control of the ball every time they were playing it. We need to be more versatile and stress them in more ways, and I believe we are going to be able to do that. We just have to find a little bit better offensive rhythm," Schmidt said. "We are still having some inconsistencies we have to even out, but I like the belief and sense of purpose we came into the match with. We have to find a way to rise during the clutch moments."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Tryna VanderZwaag reaches milestone, pushes Calvin past Hope with resilience