Snikkers is Sweet as Knights Capture First Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Title Since 2000
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Calvin’s 10-year drought is over. On Saturday night, Calvin captured its first Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic title since 2000, defeating East Beltline rival Cornerstone 81-76 in the championship game at the Aquinas College Sturrus Sports and Center. The tournament crown is Calvin’s third overall. The Knights (3-2) previously won in 1999 and 2000. Sophomore Tom Snikkers scored 20 points in the win and was named the recipient of the Ray McCahill Tournament Most Valuable Player Award. He was joined on the all-tournament team by senior teammate Brent Schuster who scored 14 points in the win over Cornerstone including a clutch triple down the stretch and two clinching free throws in the final seconds.
Women’s Basketball Falls in Overtime 64-63 to IU-South Bend
Saturday, November 27, 2010
OLIVET - The Calvin women’s basketball team dropped a 64-63 overtime decision to the Titans of Indiana University-South Bend Saturday afternoon at the Olivet Thanksgiving Classic to dip to 3-2 on the year. IU-South Bend scored the winning basket with 11 seconds left in overtime with a three-pointer by Calvin at the buzzer just off the mark. A lack of perimeter shooting proved to be Calvin’s undoing as the Knights were just 3-of-24 from three-point range in the defeat. Sophomore Carissa Verkaik was a bright spot for the Knights, just missing a triple-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Courtney Kurncz, Jill Thomas and Ally Wolffis added eight points each for the Knights in defeat. For her efforts, Verkaik was named to the all-tournament team.
Women’s Basketball Rolls to 87-59 Win Over Aquinas at Olivet Thanksgiving Classic
Saturday, November 27, 2010
OLIVET - Calvin rolled to an 87-59 victory over cross-town rival Aquinas College Friday evening in a first round game of the Olivet College Thanksgiving Classic. Sophomore center Carissa Verkaik (Holland Christian HS) poured in 22 points on 10 of 15 shooting while blocking four shots. Verkaik was one of four Calvin players to notch double-digits in scoring as sophomore Allison Wolffis (Muskegon-Mona Shores HS) had 15 points, junior Heather DeKleine (Hudsonville Unity Christian HS) 11 points and junior Courtney Kurncz (St. Johns HS) 10 points. Fresh off her stint on Calvin’s national championship women’s volleyball team, sophomore Julia Hilbrands (Grand Rapids Christian HS) made her season debut and scored eight points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench.
Men’s Basketball Downs Aquinas 61-44 in First Round of Hall of Fame Classic
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Calvin opened play at the 15th annual Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame Classic with a 61-44 victory over host Aquinas and snapped a five-game losing streak against the Saints in the process. The Knights will face Cornerstone in Saturday’s championship game at 8 p.m. at the Aquinas College Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center. Calvin was led in scoring by senior Brad Schyders (Unity Christian HS) and sophomore Tom Snikkers (Unity christian HS) with 11 points apiece while freshman Jordan Brink (Dyer, IN/Illiana Christian HS) had 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Senior Brent Schuster (Denver, CO/Denver Christian HS) and sophomore Bryan Powell (Wyoming Park HS) added eight poitns apiece with Schuster blocking a pair of shots. Freshman Tyler Kruis (Calvin Christian HS) also hauled down a career-high eight rebounds in the win.
Volleyball Finishes Number One in Final AVCA Division III Top 25 Poll
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
For the first time in school history, the Calvin women’s volleyball team has finished number-one in the final AVCA Division III Top 25 poll of the season. The Knights received a unanimous 24 first place votes in the final poll - released this afternoon. During its march through the NCAA III Tournament, Calvin knocked off (then) number-two ranked Wittenberg University, number-three ranked Juniata College and top-ranked Emory University.
Amber Warners Named AVCA Division III National Coach of the Year
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
(release prepared by American Volleyball Coaches Association)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (November 23, 2010) – The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) is proud to announce that Calvin College head women’s volleyball coach Amber Warners has been selected as the 2010 AVCA Division III National Coach of the Year. In her ninth season as the Calvin head coach, Warners helped the Knights to a magical year in 2010. Calvin earned the program’s third MIAA regular season title, took home its first NCAA Regional title since 1992 and captured its first-ever NCAA Division III national championship with a 3-1 victory over Emory on November 22. The Knights’ road to their storybook ending was not an easy one, as the squad knocked off nationally-ranked squads Heidelberg (No. 13), Wittenberg (No.2), UMass-Boston (No. 24), Juniata (T-No.3) and Emory (No.1) in the NCAA postseason alone.
Megan Rietema Featured on NCAA.com
Monday, November 22, 2010
ST. LOUIS, MO - Calvin College freshman setter Megan Rietema came up big for the Calvin women’s volleyball team at the NCAA III Tournamen at Washington University, helping lead the Knights to the national title with a win over top-ranked Emory in the national title match. Rietema scored the final two points in Calvin’s clinching four-set win. Rietema had 37 assists, eight kills, seven digs and a .368 attack percentage in Monday’s win over Emory. NCAA.com reporter Jim Faasen was there on Monday and filed the following report on Rietema: NCAA.com Feature Story on Megan Rietema
Carissa Verkaik Named MIAA Co-Player of the Week in Women’s Basketball
Monday, November 22, 2010
ROYAL OAK, Mich. – The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association has named Calvin center Carissa Verkaik and Hope center Carrie Snikkers its Players of the Week in women’s basketball for games played through November 21. Verkaik, a sophomore from Holland (Holland Christian HS), scored 64 points (21.3 per game), grabbed 32 rebounds (10.7 per game) and blocked 10 shots (3.3 per game) in leading the Knights to a 2-1 record for the week. She scored 25 points in a 62-48 season-opening win over Manchester, Ind., and had 23 points, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots in a 60-54 loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater. Verkaik, who shot 49 percent from the field (25 of 51) and 82 percent from the line (14 of 17) for the week, is being honored as Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career.
THEY DID IT!! - KNIGHTS WIN NCAA III VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, November 22, 2010
(Photo by Danny Reise)
ST. LOUIS, MO – The long wait for the Calvin women’s volleyball program is over. On a magical Monday afternoon, the Knights captured their first-ever national title, defeating top-ranked Emory University (GA) 25-14, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23 in the national final at Washington University of St. Louis. The national title came exactly 24 years ago to the very day that the Knights had suffered a heart-breaking five-set defeat in the 1986 national championship final to the University of California at San Diego in front of 3,800 fans at the Calvin Fieldhouse after leading that match two-sets-to-one.
Amber Warners Postmatch Audio Interview
Women’s Volleyball to Play for National Title Monday Afternoon in St. Louis
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Calvin women’s volleyball team will play for a national championship Monday afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri. The Knights will face top-ranked Emory University (GA) at 3 p.m. (EST) in the national title match on the campus of Washington University of St. Louis. Monday’s match will feature a live video stream, live stats and a separate live audio broadcast.
The Washington University tournament site at: Washington Unversity Tournament Site has direct links to the live stats scoreboard and video stream.
Direct links can be found at:
Calvin Stretch Internet Audio Broadcast
