by andrea schutter

Associate Sports Editor

Calvin split a pair of matches on Friday at its own Midwest Invitational to move to 17-11 for the year. Calvin opened the tournament with a 30-24, 30-27, 30-17 victory over Hanover. The Knights were then defeated by Dordt College, ranked seventh in the latest NAIA national poll, 30-17, 30-21, 30-18. Contributing to the win, junior middle hitter Melissa Pell tallied 12 kills, while junior outside hitter Cassie Christopher and sophomore Trisha Balkema added nine kills a piece. Balkema and Christopher also teamed up to collect 10 digs each. Freshman middle hitter Kara Kuipers stopped Hanover's offense with five blocks, and junior Jessica Huisjen came off the bench to provide five service assists. Senior setter Sara Ahrenholz accumulated 38 assists to top off the win.

Calvin had a slow start, but the Knights managed to pull off the win to face Dordt College in their second match. Pell drilled 10 kills and dominated at the net with five blocks. Balkema added to the defense with nine kills, and Ahrenholz supplied 28 assists to set up Calvin's offense.

Calvin took fifth with a 3-1 record on Saturday afternoon as it defeated Wheaton and Anderson in come-from-behind fashion.

Calvin opened play on Saturday with a 19-30, 28-30, 30-26, 30-25, 15-11 win over Wheaton. The Knights then topped Anderson 30-16, 18-30, 26-30, 34-32, 15-13. In the match against Wheaton, Kuipers and freshman Kristen DeGroot both recorded 15 kills. Kuipers also dominated at the net with four blocks. Pell contributed to the front line offense with 14 kills, and junior defensive specialist and setter Laura Tucker came off the bench to provide a career-high 64 assists. Ahrenholz suffered a minor injury in the first game, forcing Tucker to take over as setter for the remainder of the day.

``She's definitely prepared mentally; she hasn't had many opportunities to play, but she's very capable,'' said head coach Jerry Bergsma. ``It showed that it takes a team to make it happen. We've had setbacks before so we've fought as a team all year long.'' Tucker hasn't seen much setting time, but her impressive skill and effort combined with the team's support secured the win. ``The whole team stepped up. It took a bit, but everyone came together,'' said Tucker.

In the match against Anderson, freshman Kathy Brenneman pounded 16 kills and racked up 9 digs. Christopher amassed 15 kills and 12 digs while Kuipers added 7 kills and a career-high 10 blocks. DeGroot pitched in with 15 digs and Tucker led the team with 42 assists.

Dordt captured the tournament title with a four-game victory over defending champion DePauw in the championship final. The tournament offered each contending team an opportunity to challenge the same opponents they faced during the season, but only a select few could anticipate the battle for a MIAA championship title. The MIAA Tournament Semifinals are slated for Friday, November 2 at Hope's Dow Center.