Volleyball breezes through MIAA preview tournament

The Flying Dutch displayed an array of strong performances as they soared to 4-0 at the MIAA Preview Tournament, hosted at Hope’s DeVos Fieldhouse last weekend. Hope bested league opponents Kalamazoo College and Adrian College on Friday, and earned victories over Albion College and Finlandia University on Saturday.

The team dropped just one set all weekend in the game against Albion, which they won 3-1. The undefeated Flying Dutch showcased excellent team chemistry and skill throughout the weekend, but few players stood out more than senior outside hitter Katie Rietberg. Reitberg totaled 59 kills and a .329 hitting average during last weekend’s tournament. 28 of those 59 kills came in the Dutch’s match against Albion, tying the record for kills in matches with a 25-point set. Rietberg joined the record book alongside Jacie Fielder (’09) and Kirstin Anderson Contributing Writer Jenna Grasmeyer (’12).

Another standout of the weekend was junior Gabbi Vachon at the libero position, who achieved her career high in digs with 31 against Albion. Overall, the team showed great promise, and sophomore outside hitter Rose Thompson couldn’t be more optimistic. “These past couple of weeks have shown just a glimmer of what we’re capable of this season,” Thompson commented. “We have so much depth on this team, and that was evident this past week especially.” The Flying Dutch have shown a world of potential in their opening weeks this year, on par with the excellence that has come to be the norm for Hope volleyball.

Next weekend, they will hit the road and travel to Ohio for the Wittenberg Fall Classic Tournament, where they will face Ohio Northern University and University of Mary Washington on Friday, then Heidelberg University and Ithaca College on Saturday