Two Volleyball Players Named All-Region (11/17/08)
Two members of Hope's MIAA champion volleyball team have been named to the Great Lakes Division III all-region team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).

Senior outside hitter Nora Slenk of Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS) and sophomore middle hitter Kara VandeGuchte of Hamilton, Mich. (Hamilton HS) are among the 14 players being honored from NCAA Division III teams in Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky.

In addition, junior setter Andrea Helminiak of Maumee, Ohio (Anthony Wayne HS) received honorable mention recognition.

All three Hope honorees received All-MIAA first team honors as coach Becky Schmidt's Flying Dutch posted a 26-7 season record, captured the MIAA championship for the fourth time this decade and competed in the NCAA tournament.

Slenk and VandeGuchte become eligible for AVCA All-American consideration.

Flying Dutch Bow in NCAA Opener (11/13/08)
Stats
The Flying Dutch made a quick albeit exciting exit from the NCAA championships Thursday night bowing in the opening round of the eight-team regional tournament to Heidelberg, Ohio in five games, 25-22, 20-25, 27-29, 25-19, 15-7.

It marked the second time this season that Heidelberg defeated the Flying Dutch in a five-set match.

After splitting the first two sets, Hope led 24-21 in set three before Heidelberg went on a three-point scoring run to knot the score at 24-24. After trailing 26-25, the Flying Dutch scored four out of the next five points to take set three in extended points. After the score was tied 10-10 in set four, Heidelberg outscored Hope, 30-16 to end the match. The Bergs’ scoring run included leads of 10-3 and 12-5 in the deciding fifth stanza.

Kara VandeGuchte had a match-high 16 kills on a .500 hitting percentage to lead the Flying Dutch. Nora Slenk added 15 kills and Teresa Borst had 11. Meghan Winer patrolled the back court with 28 digs and Kristen Johnson added 18 and Traci Baker 11. Andrea Helminiak contributed 50 assists and 17 digs.

Earlier in the day MIAA rival Calvin also lost in a first round match to UW-Whitewater, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 25-14.

Coach Becky Schmidt's Flying Dutch, appearing in the post-season tournament for the sixth time in school history, end the season with a 26-7 record.

Hope Headed to Wisconsin for NCAA
The MIAA champion Flying Dutch will be headed to Wisconsin to compete in the NCAA Division III championships beginning Thursday. The NCAA early today assigned coach Becky Schmidt's Dutch to the regional tournament to be hosted by the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. Hope (26-6) is scheduled to play Heidelberg, Ohio in a first round match at 6 p.m. CT Thursday. The complete tournament bracket will be released later today.

The Flying Dutch gained the MIAA's automatic berth in the playoffs in an unusual way. As the regular season champion of the MIAA, Hope was scheduled to host the NCAA-qualifying tournament this past weekend. However, the Hope campus was ordered closed by health authorities when a Noro-like-virus swept across the student body. The tournament had to be cancelled, too. By league rule Hope, as league champion, gained the automatic berth. The Hope campus remains closed until at least Wednesday. Further complicating things, athletic teams are not being allowed to practice.

Commissioner David Neilson announced the cancellation after consulting with the NCAA, which had initially allowed an exception to its requirement that the MIAA’s automatic qualifier be determined by Sunday’s deadline. After revisiting the matter, the NCAA determined that the MIAA must abide by the original timeline.

“As a result of the virus at Hope College, which has now led to the cancellation of the tournament, as per written policy, the automatic qualifier is awarded to the regular season champion, Hope College,” Neilson said.

The NCAA will announce the pairings for the Division III volleyball tournament on Monday. The eight-team Regional tournament will begin Thursday. Hope will be competing in the NCAA championship for the sixth time in school history. The last time was in 2006.

Flying Dutch Advance to MIAA Semis (11/4/08)
Box Score
The top-seeded Flying Dutch opened MIAA tournament action with a quick-win over visiting eighth-seeded Trine on Tuesday night, 25-15, 25-17, 25-12.

The regular season champion Flying Dutch will host the tournament's semi-final matches and championship match this Friday and Saturday at DeVos Fieldhouse. Friday matches will pit Calvin (26-4) against Alma (21-9) at 5:30 p.m., followed by Hope (26-6) against Adrian (15-15) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday's championship match will begin at 4 p.m.

The Flying Dutch were in complete control of their match against Trine. Leading the attack at the net were senior Nora Slenk with 14 kills, Teresa Borst with nine and Kara VandeGuchte with 8. Andrea Helminiak and Meghan Winer had 13 and 12 digs respectively. Traci Baker served three aces while Andrea Helminiak was credited with 38 assists.

Flying Dutch are MIAA Champions (11/1/08)
Midwest Challenge Results
Hope 3, Alma 0 / Heidelberg3, Hope 2
Hope 3, Kalamazoo 0 / Hope 3, Baldwin-Wallace 0
The Flying Dutch clinched an outright MIAA championship this weekend while winning three of four matches at the Midwest Challenge. Two of the victories were three-game sweeps of conference opponents Alma and Kalamazoo. The wins left Hope with a final 15-1 regular season conference record and gives the Flying Dutch the home court advantage throughout the league tournament when it begins next Tuesday. The MIAA championship is the second in five years under coach Becky Schmidt and the ninth in school history. Hope has a 25-6 overall record, marking the third time in five seasons under Schmidt that the Flying Dutch have won 25 or more matches.

Midwest Challenge Includes MIAA Title Run (10/31/08)
Hope 3, Alma 0 / Heidelberg3, Hope 2
Hope is co-hosting the Midwest Challenge with Calvin College this weekend. The eight-team tournament features matches at both Hope and Calvin. Hope's matches are being played at the DeVos Fieldhouse.

The Flying Dutch clinched a share of the MIAA championship by sweeping Alma in three sets on Friday, 25-12, 28-26, 25-22. Coach Becky Schmidt's Flying Dutch improved to 14-1 in the MIAA and need a win over Kalamazoo on Saturday to win the league championship outright.

In Friday's second match, Heidelberg, Ohio defeated Hope in five games, 23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 14-25, 15-10. It was a match between two regionally ranked teams. Hope is 23-6 overall.

Flying Dutch Move Closer to League Title (10/25/08)
Hope 3, Trine 0 / Hope 3, Adrian 0 / Mt. Union 3, Hope 2
The Flying Dutch have moved closer to a league championship after posting a pair of three-set victories on the road this weekend. On Friday the nationally ranked Flying Dutch won at Trine (25-18, 25-21, 25-20) and then on Saturday morning topped Adrian (27-25, 25-17, 25-22). In a non-league match played at Adrian on Saturday, Mt. Union, Ohio, defeated the Flying Dutch in five games, 29-31, 25-23, 25-18, 16-25, 15-13.

With the wins, coach Becky Schmidt's Dutch improve to 13-1 in the MIAA. With two league matches remaining, the Flying Dutch need one win to guarantee an MIAA co-championship and the top-seed in the NCAA-qualifying league tournament. The remaining matches will be played at home next weekend as part of the Midwest Invitational. Hope went 8-0 on the road in MIAA matches this season. The Flying Dutch are 22-5 overall.

MIAA Race Tightens as Rival Calvin Tops Dutch (10/17/08)
Box Score
A Division 3 record crowd was treated to another classic Hope/Calvin athletic contest Friday at DeVos Fieldhouse. In a showdown of nationally ranked volleyball teams, the visiting Knights prevailed in five games, 25-20, 23-25, 13-25, 25-18, 15-13.

The Calvin win tightens the MIAA race heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. Hope remains on top of the league standings at 11-1 while Calvin is 10-2.

The crowd of 2,307 established an NCAA Division 3 regular season attendance mark. The previous mark for a regular season match between Division 3 teams was 1,850 when Roanoke, Va. defeated Washington & Lee, Va. in October, 2000.

Calvin's win avenged a four-set loss to the Flying Dutch in Grand Rapids. It ended a 14-match winning streak for the Dutch who are now 20-4 on the season.

Three players had double-digit kills for Hope -- Nora Slenk 14, Kara VandeGuchte 13 and Cassidy Bulthuis 11. Five players had double-digit digs -- Meghan Winer 16, Nora Slenk 16, Andrea Helminiak 14, Kristen Johnson 12 and Traci Baker 10. Helminiak had 43 assists. The Flying Dutch served 11 aces led by Traci Baker's four.

Flying Dutch Post Season's 20th Win (10/10/08)
Box Score
The Flying Dutch posted a milestone victory Friday in gaining a three-set sweep of visiting Albion, 25-18, 25-19, 25-22. The win was the 20th of the season coach Becky Schmidt's nationally ranked Flying Dutch. It marks the fourth straight season that the Flying Dutch have won 20-or-more matches. During that span the Dutch are 96-30. The team's 14th straight victory moved them to 11-0 in the MIAA and 20-3 overall.

Sophomore Cassidy Bolthuis led the Dutch at the net with 14 kills and only one error in just 18 attempts. Noira Slenk added 10 kills. On defense, Andrea Heliniak and Meghan Winer were credited with 16 and 11 digs respectively. Helminiak also had 40 assists. The Flying Dutch counted nine service aces led by Nora Slenk with three.

Flying Dutch Sweep Yet Another Opponent (10/7/08)
Box Score
The Flying Dutch extended their winning streak to 13 in-a-row by posting their 13th three-game sweep of an opponent Tuesday night. Ranked 12th in the nation among NCAA Division III teams in the newest poll, coach Becky Schmidt's Dutch needed just 61 minutes to top host Saint Mary's, 25-4, 25-22, 25-16. The Flying Dutch are 10-0 in the MIAA and 19-3 overall.

Sophomore Kara VandeGuchte led the attack at the net with 12 kills and no errors in just 15 attempts. Andrea Helminiak and Meghan Winer had 15 and 11 digs respectively. Helminiak also had 36 assists and three service aces.

Senior Nora Slenk Honored a Second Time (10/6/08)
Senior outside hitter Nora Slenk of Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS) has been named the MIAA player of the week for the second time in her craeer. Her strong all-around play was instrumental as the nationally ranked Flying Dutch won a pair of league matches last week. She totaled 22 kills, added 16 digs and had a hitting percentage of .541 in leading Hope to three-game sweeps of Alma and Olivet.

Dutch Treat Homecoming Crowd to Victory (10/3/08)
Box Score
The nationally ranked Flying Dutch treated a capacity DeVos fieldhouse crowd to a three-game Homecoming sweep of Olivet on Friday night, 25-15, 25-14, 25-17. Coach Becky Scmidt's Dutch extended their winning streak to 12 in-a-row in moving to 9-0 in league play and 18-3 overall.

The Flying Dutch had one of their best hitting percentages of the season (.419), committing just eight errors on 93 attacks that resulted in 47 kills. Teresa Borst led the Dutch with 11 kills while Andrea Helminiak led the team on defense with 12 digs. Helminiak also had 35 assists.

Flying Dutch Expand MIAA Lead With Win (10/1/08)
Box Score
The nationally ranked Flying Dutch widened their lead in the MIAA race by sweeping host Alma in three games on Wednesday, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17. Every other MIAA team now has at least two league losses while the Flying Dutch are 8-0 midway through the conference schedule. The Flying Dutch extended their winning streak to 11 in-a-row to improve to 17-3 on the season. Hope is ranked 14th in this week's NCAA Division III poll. The Flying Dutch will begin the second half of the conference season by hosting Olivet on Friday.

Kara VandeGuchte is MIAA Player of the Week
Sophomore middle hitter Kara VandeGuchte of Hamilton, Mich. (Hamilton HS) is the MIAA offensive player of the week. She led the nationally ranked Flying Dutch to a 5-0 record last week, including a sweep at a tournament in Iowa. In a conference match against Trine, she pounded home 18 kills with no errors for a hitting percentage of .581. She added 10 blocks and eight digs in that contest. For the week, VandeGuchte delivered 46 kills, and added 23 blocks and 13 digs. She is being honored for the second time in her career.

Flying Dutch Go Undefeated in Iowa (9/27/08)
Central Invitational Website
The Flying Dutch won all four of their matches at the Central College Invitational in Pella, Iowa this weekend. On Friday coach Becky Schmidt's Dutch defeated two University of Wisconsin teams, first sweeping UW-Eau Claire 25-21, 25-20, 34-32 and then beating UW-River Falls in five games, 21-25, 25-13, 25-10, 16-25, 15-7. The Flying Dutch opened Saturday play with a four game victory over host Central, 25-14, 18-25, 25-21, 25-18. The team ended their play by avenging a season-opening loss with a three-game sweep of Carthage, Wisc. 25-20, 25-18, 25-17. This was a showdown of nationally ranked teams, Carthage #5 and Hope #15. With a ten-match winning streak, the Flying Dutch are 16-3 on the season. Senior Nora Slenk and junior Andrea Helminiak were named to the all-tournament team.

Flying Dutch Stay Unbeaten in MIAA (9/23/08)
Box Score
The nationally ranked Flying Dutch remained unbeaten in the MIAA by defeating the Trine Thunder in four games on Tuesday night, 25-17, 25-14, 24-26, 25-16. Ranked 15th in the latest national Division III poll of the American Volleyball Coaches Association, coach Becky Schmidt's Dutch improved to 7-0 in the MIAA and 12-3 overall.

Kara VandeGuchte led the Dutch at the net collecting 18 kills on 31 attacks without an error. Nora Slenk followed with 14 kills. Four players had double-digit digs -- Traci Baker 14, Meghan Winer 13, Andrea Helminiak 12 and Kristen Johnson 10. Helminiak was credited with 44 assists. The Flying Dutch served 10 aces led by Traci Baker with five.

MIAA Honors Setter Andrea Helminiak (9/22/08)
Junior setter Helminiak of Maumee, Ohio (Anthony Wayne HS) is the MIAA specialty player of the week for the second time this season and the fourth time in her career. Last week she dished out 121 assists (12.1 per game) in leading the Flying Dutch to MIAA wins over Kalamazoo, Calvin and Adrian. She added 36 digs, eight kills and three blocks. The nationally ranked Flying Dutch top the MIAA standings at 6-0 and are 11-3 overall.

League Wins Put Dutch on Top of MIAA (9/20/08)
Box Score
Weekend victories this weekend have put the Flying Dutch on top of the MIAA race with a 6-0 record. On Friday the Flying Dutch defeated rival Calvin in four games (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22) and on Saturday swept Adrian in three games (25-8, 25-22, 25-19) to improve to 11-3 on the season.

Flying Dutch Defeat Rival Calvin (9/19/08)
In a showdown of nationally ranked rivals, the Flying Dutch defeated Calvin on the road in four games Friday night, 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22.

Coach Becky Schmidt's Flying Dutch gained sole possession of first place in the MIAA improving to 5-0 while Calvin suffered its first conference loss (4-1). Hope is 10-3 overall.

Hope entered the match ranked 17th nationally among NCAA Division III teams. Calvin is ranked 15th.

Hope entered the match ranked 17th nationally among NCAA Division III teams. Calvin is ranked 15th. It marked Hope's first win at Calvin since 2000 and the first for coach Schmidt.

Three players had double-digit kills -- Nora Slenk 14, Cassidy Bulthouse 12 and Teresa Borst 11. Setter Andrea Helminiak was credited with 49 assists. Meghan Winer collected 16 digs while Helminiak had 12. The Flying Dutch did not commit a blocking error in 19 chances. Hope had six service aces led by Traci Baker with three.

Flying Dutch Remains Spotless in MIAA (9/16/08)
box score
The nationally ranked Flying Dutch remained undefeated in the MIAA by sweeping past Kalamazoo in three games on Tuesday night, 25-18, 25-15, 25-23. Hope and Alma are tied for first place in the MIAA standings at 4-0. Coach Becky Schmidt's Dutch are 9-3 overall.

For the second week in-a-row, the Flying Dutch are ranked 17th in the national Division III poll of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Nora Slenk led the Dutch at the net with 10 kills while Meghan Winer and Andrea Helminiak were standouts on defense with 11 and 10 digs respectively. Helminiak also had 28 assists. Hope had eight service aces led by Winer and Teresa Borst with three apiece.

Next for the Dutch is a key conference match on Friday in Grand Rapids against rival Calvin which is also nationally ranked (#15).

Flying Dutch Split Ohio Matches (9/13/08)
The Flying Dutch split their weekend matches at the Border Battle Tournament hosted by Wittenberg University. After losing twice on Friday, coach Becky Schmidt's Flying Dutch came back to win twice on Saturday. The split puts Hope at 8-3 on the season.

The Border Battle pitting Michigan teams against Ohio squads ended with each state collecting eight victories.

On Saturday Hope defeated Mount St. Joseph 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 26-24, 25-12) and Hiram 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-17). They came on the heels of Friday's losses to Wittenberg and Ohio Northern.

Four Hope players were named to the Michigan All-Tournament team -- sophomore Cassidy Bulthuis, junior Andrea Helminiak, senior Nora Slenk and sophomore Kara VandeGuchte.

Flying Dutch Lose Twice in Ohio (9/12/08)
In a pair of showdowns between nationally ranked teams, the Flying Dutch suffered back-to-back losses on Friday at the Border Battle invitational hosted by Wittenberg University. Coach Becky Schmidt's Dutch lost to #5 Wittenberg in five games, 18-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-16, 15-7, and to #10 Ohio Northern in four games, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-18. Hope is ranked #17 and stands 6-3 on the season.

Against Wittenberg Cassidy Bulthuis had 14 kills, 3 block assists, and a service ace while Nora Slenk added 13 kills. Meghan Winer served three aces and had 18 digs while Andrea Helminiak collected 38 assists and had 10 digs.

In the Ohio Northern match Meghan Winer was credited with 31 digs and Kara VandeGuchte had six blocks. Andrea Helminiak finished with 46 assists and Cassidy Bulthuis and Teresa Borst had double-digit kills with 15 and 13 respectively.

Flying Dutch Extend Win Streak to Six (9/10/08)
box score
The Flying Dutch extended their winning streak to six matches and remained unbeaten in the MIAA by sweeping visiting Saint Mary's Tuesday night, 25-18, 25-21, 25-12. Coach Becky Schmidt's nationally ranked Flying Dutch improved to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in the MIAA. Earlier Tuesday the weekly national Division III poll was released with the Flying Dutch improving six places to 17th.

Junior setter Andrea Helminiak was outstanding in several aspects of the game. She had 38 assists, nine digs and tallied six kills in just seven attempts without an error. Finishing with double-digit kills were Nora Slenk (11) and Teresa Borst (10). The Flying Dutch had eight service aces led by Sara DeWeerdt with three. Libero Meghan Winer had 11 digs.

MIAA Honors Andrea Helminiak (9/8/08)
Junior setter Andrea Helminiak of Maumee, Ohio (Anthony Wayne HS) is the MIAA specialty player of the week. She dished out 75 assists in seven games, and added 11 digs and seven aces as Hope opened MIAA play with wins over Olivet and Albion. She is being honored for the third time in her career.

Flying Dutch Wins Put Coach at #100 (9/6/08)
Albion box score / Olivet box score
The Flying Dutch opened conference play with a pair of milestone victories on Saturday. With the wins over Albion and Olivet, coach Becky Schmidt has reached 100 coaching victories in just her fifth year at Hope. The Flying Dutch extended their winning streak to five by defeating Albion 3-1 (25-20, 25-11, 20-25, 25-21) and host Olivet 3-0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-17.

An All-American during her Hope collegiate volleyball-playing days, coach Schmidt has a 100-52 record at Hope and a career collegiate coaching mark of 138-84.

Against Albion, the Flying Dutch had double-digit kills from Nora Slenk (13) and Kara VandeGuchte (10) and double-digit digs from Meghan Winer (30), Sara DeWeerdt (16) and Nora Slenk (15). Setter Andrea Helminiak was credited with 38 assists and three service aces.

Finishing with double-digit kills against Olivet were Nora Slenk (12), Kara VandGuchte (12) and Cassidy Bulthuis (10). Meghan Winer had 18 digs while Andrea Helminiak counted 37 assists and four service aces.

Flying Dutch Win 3-of-4 in Illinois (8/30/08)
The Flying Dutch won three-of-four matches at the season-opening Elmhurst, Ill. Invitational this weekend. After splitting their matches on Friday, coach Becky Schmidt's team won a pair on Saturday topping host Elmhurst in four sets, 25-20, 25-16, 22-25, 27-25, and sweeping Coe, Iowa in three, 25-10, 25-20, 25-16. Senior Nora Slenk was voted to the all-tournament team. She averaged 14 kills per match and in the Elmhurst victory served five aces.

Finishing with double-digit kills against Elmhurst were Kara VandeGuchte (14), Nora Slenk (14) and Teresa Borst (11). Setter Andrea Helminiak was credited with 41 assists while Meghan Winer had 20 digs. Against Coe, Helminiak served four aces while Slenk had 15 kills and Winer 13 digs.

Flying Dutch Split Season-Opening Matches (8/29/08)
The Flying Dutch split a pair of matches in the season-opening tournament at Elmhurst College on Friday. In a showdown of pre-season nationally ranked teams, #10 Carthage defeated #23 Hope in four games, 25-15, 21-25, 25-16, 25-10. The Flying Dutch bounced back to sweep Transylvania, Ky. in three games, 25-15, 25-19, 25-18. Nora Slenk led the team in digs in both matches with 10 against Carthage and 14 against Transylvania. Setter Andrea Helminiak had 36 assists in each match. She had 19 digs against Carthage while Meghan Winer had a team-leading 12 against Transylvania.

With a strong core of returning players, the 2008 Flying Dutch will be seeking to maintain the momentum of a string of successful seasons.

In four seasons under coach Becky Schmidt, the Flying Dutch have averaged 24 victories a year. The 2007 Fltying Dutch posted a 24-9 record, finishing second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

The 10-player varsity is built around eight returning letterwinners, including five starters from a year ago. There are no freshmen on the varsity. The team includes five sophomores, three juniors and two seniors.

Co-captains of the team are junior Andrea Helminiak of Maumee, Ohio (Anthony Wayne HS) and senior Nora Slenk of Holland, Mich. (Holland Christian HS).

Last season Slenk was voted to the All-MIAA first team while Helminiak received second team honors. The team’s setter, Helminiak was twice named the MIAA specialty player of the week. She ranked second in the MIAA in assists, averaging 12.76 assists per game. She also ranked among the nation’s Division III leaders (38th at 11.58 assists per game overall). Slenk was honored as an MIAA player of the week.

Sophomore Kara Vande Guchte of Hamilton, Mich. (Hamilton HS) had an outstanding first collegiate season. She was chosen the MIAA’s freshman player of the year and received All-MIAA second team honors. She led the MIAA in hitting percentage. Vande Guchte also received All-MIAA honors in track & field as an outstanding sprinter/hurdler.

Other returning letterwinners include junior Teresa Borst of Zeeland, Mich. (Zeeland East HS), sophomore Cassidy Bulthuis of Nunica, Mich. (Spring Lake HS), sophomore Sara DeWeerdt of Holland, Mich. (Hamilton HS), junior Kristen Johnson of Naperville, Ill. (Wheaton Academy) and senior Meghan Winer of Ada, Mich. (Forest Hills Central HS).

The 2007 Flying Dutch ranked among the nation’s Division III in several team statistical categories – assists per game (12.99), hitting percentage (.232) and kills per game (15.15).

The NCAA has adopted three rule changes for the 2008 season — the term “game” will be replaced with “set,” all but fifth sets (which go to 15 points or until a team leads by two points after a tie at 14-all) will be trimmed from 30 points to 25, and the number of rotations per set will be dropped from 15 to 12.

Four returning players were named to the 2007-08 MIAA Academic Honor Roll – Sara DeWeerdt, Nora Slenk, Kara Vande Guchte and Megan Winer.