Will the winning tradition in Hopkins women's Volleyball continue? It is too soon to tell, but the Lady Blue Jays certainly have the talent, if not the experience, to get the job done.
The first week of play was a busy one for the Blue Jays, who played a total of 11 matches, including two weekend tournaments. On Sept. 1, the Jays traveled to Haverford for a two-day tournament. The first day was a disappointment, as all three matches resulted in close losses. The first match against Widener went to five games, but in the end Widener pulled through with the victory.
The next two matches both went to four games, although both were very close to going to the decisive fifth. The second day brought better fortune, however, as the Blue Jays lost an early match to Pittsburgh-Johnstown before pounding both St. Mary's and LaRoche in three straight games.
A night game at Catholic University on Sept. 5 saw the Lady Jays falter a bit, as Catholic swept the Jays. The Blue Jays put up strong individual performances, however, with senior outside hitter Emily Miller leading all hitters with 16 kills and adding a modest 14 digs on the side.
Freshman setter Betsy Baydala also stepped up in her starting role, garnering 25 assists as well as nine digs. The second tournament in as many weekends found the Blue Jays growing swiftly as a team. The Lady Jays swept both Salisbury State and Villa Julie on Sept. 7.
Against Salisbury State, the Hopkins duo of middle blockers, juniors Sarah Payne and Elisabeth Breese, combined for an outstanding 15 kills in 30 attempts without a single error, hitting a phenomenal .500 for the match. Freshman setter Baydala took the helm again against Villa Julie, putting up 13 assists, 18 digs and six aces.
Baydala has gone beyond the call of duty so far in her early Hopkins career, as she already leads the team with 32 aces, 302 assists,140 digs, and an impressive .404 hitting percentage. The second day of the tournament was tougher, as the Jays were swept early by Moravian.
The second match of the day, though, was much closer, and went to five games before Lycoming squeaked by with a 15-12 victory in the deciding game.
The senior members of the Jays played outstanding defense in the match, with Emily Miller earning a career-high 28 digs and outside hitter Courtney Williams adding 16 digs of her own. Miller's performance earned her All-Tournament honors with 40 total kills and 62 digs in four matches.
Despite going 2-2 for the weekend, and 4-7 overall, the young Hopkins squad continued to show quick growth and improvement. For a team that lost six players last year, the Blue Jays are showing great poise and have begun to exhibit signs that they can, in fact, continue the streak of winning seasons in women's Volleyball.
