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2011 Calvin Women’s Volleyball Preview
Saturday, August 13, 2011
2011 Calvin Volleyball Schedule
By Sports Information Student Assistant Mitch Blankespoor
The 2010 Calvin volleyball season is best described as an up and down season. The lowest point of the 2010 season came on November 6th at the DeVos Fieldhouse. The Knights had just been beat in straight sets by the Hope College Flying Dutch in the MIAA Tournament Final. “Right after that match, I doubted our team’s ability to win a big match. But after we talked in the locker room, I could see the desire in the girl’s eyes. We didn’t want our season to end.” Head coach Amber Warners recalled. She proved to be right, and the high point of Calvin’s season came sixteen days later on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The Knights hoisted the NCAA III national championship trophy after a four set victory over top ranked Emory University (GA).
2011 Calvin Men’s Soccer Preview
Thursday, August 11, 2011
2011 Calvin Men's Soccer Schedule
By Sports Information Student Assistant Andrew Knot
After two consecutive NCAA tournament runs and an elite eight finish last year, the Knights’ soccer program is on the precipice of annual national contention. Sustaining that success, and ultimately improving on it, makes for a daunting challenge, but Coach Chris Hughes, who remains confident in both his returning and incoming talent, is eager to see what transpires on the field of play. Last season’s team finished 16-3-5 and 9-2-3 in conference. The Knights extended their streak of conference titles to four years and enter this year the seventh ranked team in the country, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
2011 Calvin Softball Preview
Monday, March 14, 2011
The 2011 Calvin softball team will look to improve upon a 2010 season that saw the Knights finish 11-24 overall and tied for sixth place in the final MIAA standings with a 6-10 conference mark. Of Calvin’s six league victories, two were against teams near the top of the league standings as the Knights upset third-place Trine and second place Adrian during the conference campaign while losing a narrow 4-3 decision to conference champion Alma. A large part of Calvin’s 2010 success was due to the pitching of Shelby Mast (Hudsonville/Hudsonville HS) who fashioned a 10-18 record along with an impressive 2.42 earned run average - en route to receiving All-MIAA second team honors.
2011 Calvin Men’s Tennis Preview
Thursday, March 10, 2011
2011 Calvin Men's Tennis Schedule
The Calvin men’s tennis team returns seven letterwinners from a team that finished 15-9 a year ago and in third place in the final MIAA regular season standings. Returning letterwinners include seniors Andrew DeVlieger and Roland Eldridge, junior Vashan Wright and sophomores Jarrod Brower, Brian DeMaagd, Preston Phillips and Philip Reinken. DeMaagd, Reinken and Phillips all recorded 13 wins in singles play in 2010. Calvin opens non-conference dual match play on March 17 when it travels to Grand Valley State University. Conference play begins on March 30 when the Knights journey to Albion. The Calvin Sports Information office caught up with head coach John Ross for a preseason outlook earlier this week and filed an audio report which can be found below:
John Ross Preseason Audio Interview
2011 Calvin Women’s Tennis Preview
Thursday, February 24, 2011
2011 Calvin Women's Tennis Schedule
The Calvin women’s tennis team will open its 2011 season on Friday when it travels to Wheaton College (IL) for a non-conference match. The Knights will then face Coe College (IA) Saturday afternoon in a match scheduled to be played in Wheaton.Oosterhouse and Spoelhof were both named to the All-MIAA first team last spring. Oosterhouse was also named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player and later earned Academic All-America honors as well as the prestigious NCAA Elite 88 Award which she received while competing at the NCAA III Single Tournament in May. The Calvin Sports Information Department caught up with head Calvin women’s tennis coach Jerry Bergsma to preview the upcoming season. That audio preview can be found online at: Jerry Bergsma Preseason Audio Interview
2011 Calvin Baseball Preview
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
The Calvin baseball team will open its 2011 season with a three-game weekend series at Centre College (KY) March 4 and 5. The Knights will then participate in seven games in Tucson, Arizona, March 18-22. The Knights will return home to open its MIAA campaign with a four-game series against defending league champion Adrian March 25 and 26. Calvin returns 19 letterwinners from its 2010 team that finished 18-20 overall and in fourth place in the MIAA with a 15-13 conference record. The Knights return a first team All-MIAA selection in senior pitcher Keith Spoelstra and a second All-MIAA selection in first baseman/DH Andrew Bosma (pictured left). Spoelstra is one of four returning pitchers from Calvin’s starting rotation from a year ago. Other returning pitchers from the Calvin starting rotation include seniors Peter Steiner and Jeff Groenewold and sophomore Eric Poencet. The Calvin Sports Information Department caught up with head coach John Sparks for a pre-season audio interview previewing the upcoming season which can be found at: John Sparks 2011 Calvin Baseball Preseason Audio Interview
2010-11 Calvin Women’s Basketball Outlook
Thursday, November 04, 2010
2010-11 Calvin Women's Basketball Schedule
The Calvin women’s basketball team will seek to continue the momentum of a 24-5 campaign of a year ago. The Knights parlayed the 24-win season into their first NCAA III Tournament appearance in four years. Calvin returns two starters and nine letterwinners from its 2009-10 team. Returning starters include 5-11 junior forward Courtney Kurncz (St. Johns, MI/St. Johns HS) and 6-2 sophomore center Carissa Verkaik (Holland, MI/Holland Christian HS). Other returning letterwinners include 5-3 senior guard Leah Morrison (Chelsea, MI/Chelsea HS), 5-6 senior guard Allie Duernberger (Long Beach, CA/Corona Del Mar HS), 5-7 junior point guard Leah Mattson (Cadillac, MI/Cadillac HS), 5-6 junior guard Jill Thomas (Grand Rapids, MI/West Catholic HS), 5-5 sophomore guard Kelsey Irwin (Fraser, MI/Fraser HS), 5-11 sophomore forward Ally Wolffis (Muskegon, MI/Mona-Shores HS) and 6-0 sophomore post Julia Hilbrands (Grand Rapids, MI/Grand Rapids Christian HS).
Pre-Season Audio Interview with Women’s Basketball Coach John Ross
2010-11 Calvin Women’s Swimming & Diving Outlook
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Dan Gelderloos Preseason Audio Interview
The Calvin women’s swimming and diving team will be seeking its seventh straight MIAA title this winter. The Knights have won nine of the last 11 MIAA crowns.
The Knights return 18 letterwinners including three that earned All-MIAA honors in 2010. Returning All-MIAA selections include senior Monica Bressler (Sandusky, OH/Perkins HS), junior Rachel Bos (Hudsonville, MI/Unity Christian HS) and sophomore Elizabeth Counsel (Indianapolis, IN/Heritage Christian HS). The MIAA Championships will be held at nearby Jenison High School February 17-19. The NCAA III Championships will take place March 23-26 at the University of Tennessee
2010-11 Calvin Men’s Swimming & Diving Outlook
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Dan Gelderloos Preseason Audio Interview
The Calvin men’s swimming and diving team continues to build momentum. Under the direction of head coach Dan Gelderloos, the Knights will feature a roster of 21 athletes this year including three divers. A year ago, Calvin finished fourth in the final MIAA standings, placing fourth at the MIAA Championships with 428 points, 65 points behind third place Olivet.
The Knights return 11 letterwinners led by sophomore Mark Rushlow (Goshen, IN/Northridge HS). Rushlow was an All-MIAA selection as a freshman last year and also qualified for the NCAA III Championships in the 100 butterfly. Rushlow had a standout MIAA Championship meet, placing third in the 100 butterfly, fourth in the 100 freestyle and ninth in the 50 freestyle.
2010 Calvin Men’s Soccer Preview
Saturday, August 21, 2010
2010 Calvin Men's Soccer Schedule
The 2009 Calvin men’s soccer season was a season to remember - certainly a season that will go down in the history books of Calvin College athletics. The goal of Calvin soccer coach Chris Hughes however is to put the 2009 season in the rearview mirror and look ahead to the 2010 campaign.
“Last year was a season that no one will ever forget,” said Hughes. “Advancing all the way to the national championship game was something our program had never accomplished before. It was a wonderful historical moment for our program and one we will always cherish. But last year was last year. We can’t focus on what happened in the past. We have to look ahead and focus on the here and now.”
