GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - It was going to take everything Heidelberg had, and possibly a few breaks, to defeat Calvin in Thursday night's regional match.
The Knights came into Thursday with just two losses in the regular season, and as the top-ranked team in all of Division III.
And they showed it Thursday night, sweeping HU 25-15, 25-13, 25-17.
Heidelberg's season ended with a record of 19-14.
Student Princes coach Jason Miller said Calvin simply was too much for his team.
"They were good. They improved a ton," he said of the Knights. "They were a better team than when we played them earlier in the season."
Heidelberg was swept by Calvin Sept. 15, but those games were closer. The Knights won 25-18, 25-23, 25-19.
On Thursday, the Knights were led by Lizzie Kamp's 14 kills and Megan Rietma's nine kills and 29 assists.
"If we'd a played a perfect game, we might have taken a game from them, but it would have been really difficult," Miller said.
Instead, Miller said Heidelberg did struggle with its ball control, and couldn't sustain it for an entire game.
Heidelberg's Marian Bevington, playing in her final collegiate match, lined 14 kills and added five digs, while Jacki Street, another senior, had six kills. The team's other senior, Rachel Ferguson, had 14 assists and eight digs.
Miller praised what the seniors have meant to the Student Princes.
"I was talking to (an administrator), and I said, 'You know, this season hasn't been a Heidelberg-caliber year, but in no way does this diminish what these three ladies have done for this program,'" Miller said.
Amber Welfe had eight kills for HU, and Tessa Benanzer added 17 digs.
