2024 Volleyball Season Preview - Hope College (2024)

With an abundance of talent returning from a national runner-up roster, the Hope College volleyball team wants to serve up another memorable fall.

The Flying Dutch aim to build throughout the season just like they did a year ago en route to the second NCAA Division III national championship match appearance in program history.

In 2023, Hope won four five-set matches during the national tournament before falling to defending NCAA Division III national champion Juniata College (Pennsylvania) in the title match in Claremont, California. The Flying Dutch finished with a 32-3 overall record.

Hope returns all but one starter this season, including senior outside hitter Addie VanderWeide (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Grand Rapids Christian HS). VanderWeide was named the 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association Co-National Player of the Year.

Two more All-Americans are part of the Flying Dutch's attack: senior outside hitter Annie Lockett (Mason, Ohio / William Mason) and junior setter Lauren Lee (Plymouth, Michigan / Skyline).

The veteran roster has propelled Hope to No. 2 in the AVCA preseason poll and the top spot in the MIAA preseason coaches rankings.

"We've had years where we're returning a good amount of talent. This year feels a little bit unique in that there's so much experience that is returning to the court," head coach Becky Schmidt '99 said. "What's been encouraging to us is that even folks who didn't get a whole lot of opportunities last year have improved over the course of the offseason. Everybody's pushing each other in the gym so much right now. It's been really exciting."

Coaching Staff

Head coach: Becky Schmidt '99, 21st season (550-163 overall, 512-130 at Hope)
Associate head coach: Carrie Lehocky '07
Assistant coaches: Taylor Babec, Gabbi Vachon '20, Amber Morse '07

2024 Roster

The Flying Dutch's roster of 20 features six seniors, seven juniors, four sophom*ores and three freshmen.

The 6-1 VanderWeide set a team record with 535 kills during her first season at Hope. VanderWeide also was chosen as an AVCA First Team All-American and the MIAA's Most Valuable Player.

"When the pressure is on the most, that's when she is able to bring her best," Schmidt said of VanderWeide. "Even last year, she was on an upward trajectory throughout the entire season and played her best volleyball at the end. When we expected her to be really tired from taking so many swings throughout the season, she just continued to find ways to be able to to get kills and put pressure on defenses. We're expecting the same type of trajectory as our season goes on."

The 5-7 Lee is a two-time AVCA All-American after claiming second-team honors last season. Lee is averaging 11.06 assists per set over two seasons.

The 6-1 Lockett missed all of last season due to injury but earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honors during the 2022 season.

Middle hitter Alison DeWeerd, a 6-0 senior from Kentwood, Michigan (South Christian), received AVCA all-region recognition in 2023 along with Lee and VanderWeide.

Middle blocker Kamryn Burbridge, a 6-1 sophom*ore from Grand Haven, Michigan (Grand Haven), was selected to the 2023 NCAA Championships all-tournament team along with VanderWeide.

Outside hitter Samantha Seib, a 5-8 senior from Elkhorn, Wisconsin (Catholic Central), recorded the second-most digs for the Flying Dutch last season and averaged 2.97 digs per set.

Defensively, 5-7 senior Grace Marshall (DeWitt, Michigan / DeWitt) and 5-9 junior Tess Herendeen (Fort Wayne, Indiana / Homestead) both bring Division I experience to the court.

Marshall started her career at Cleveland State and is a two-time letterwinner at Hope. This is Herendeen's first season after transferring from Appalachian State University.

Schmidt said her team's chemistry, which was vital to last season's postseason run, continues to be strong.

"Our culture is built on, being accepting of one another and that we're in this together," Schmidt said. "When we face a little bit of adversity, we see it as an opportunity to be able to demonstrate character and to find some growth. There's a spirit within our team that is accepting and propelling with how they interact with each other. It's a vibe that is incredibly fun to be around."

2024 Schedule

The Flying Dutch face seven opponents ranked in the AVCA preseason poll, beginning with the season-opening tournament in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hope plays to No. 7 University of Northwestern (Minnesota) on Friday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. Central and No. 17 Washington University in St. Louis on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 11 a.m. Central.

The first of 12 home matches on the DeVos Fieldhouse main court will be a rematch of the 2023 national championship. The Flying Dutch host Juniata, the preseason No. 1, on Friday, Sept. 13, at 6:30 p.m.

Hope will host two-day tournaments: on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 13-14, and Friday-Saturday, Oct. 11-12. The annual team poster giveaway will be offered on September 14.

The Flying Dutch open the single round of MIAA regular-season play on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at No. 18 Calvin University. Hope will host the rematch on Friday, Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. during the One Big Weekend (Homecoming) celebration.

"We tried to find the most competitive schedule that we possibly could to make sure that, when we go into the postseason, we're as prepared as possible," Schmidt said. "We don't want to be surprised in the postseason by something that's a vulnerability for us. The teams that we're going to play, not only are they good, but they are good in different ways. Not only did we try to schedule good teams, but we also wanted to schedule teams that were going to be well-rounded but have a very specific strength that is going to exploit a potential vulnerability in us. We're going to see how we stand up against it."