The Blue Jays rounded out another week of tough matches, winning both home games against Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall. Both matches were must-wins for the Jays, who stepped up and upset two of the best teams in the conference.
The wins put the Jays in a position to clinch a playoff spot, pending a victory over Western Maryland College in the final regular season game of the year.
Gettysburg visited Hopkins on Wed, Oct. 17, and the Blue Jays showed up to play. Upsetting the top team in the Conference, Hopkins won the match 3-2.
Senior outside hitter Emily Miller recorded double digits in kills and digs, while junior middle Liz Breese had 16 kills and five blocks. Freshman opposite hitter Erin Trish had 20 digs, and freshman setter Betsy Baydala had 41 assists and 18 digs.
The win was important, and made the next match against Franklin & Marshall even more crucial to win in order to keep playoff hopes alive.
Thus, on Saturday, when Franklin & Marshall visited, a large crowd came out to support the Blue Jays who played their best game of the season, beating the defending champions in three straight games.
Everyone on the team played superbly. Miller led the coup with 19 kills, Breese added another 15 kills and four blocks and Baydala contributed 33 assists.
The freshmen defensive effort was a tremendous help; Baydala and Trish had 15 and 10 digs, respectively, while freshmen defensive specialists Linda Trihn, Katie Davis and Cat Albright had 12, nine and seven digs, respectively.
When asked about the two upsets, Albright said, "We played great. It just clicked. I think that everything came together for really the first time all season." There is no better time for the team to peak than right before the playoffs, and it seems that Hopkins timed it just right to really turn the heat on.
For her outstanding play, Miller earned Centennial Conference Player-of-the-Week. Miller moved into sixth place all-time in career kills by a Hopkins player, with 813, and fifth place in most kills in a season, with 373. Miller continues to be a source of inspiration for her team.
"She [Miller] is always a leader.she keeps us up and doesn't get discouraged. We'll miss her a lot next year; it will be very strange without her," said Albright. Hopkins' final regular-season game came Oct. 24 against Western Maryland. A victory would ensure a playoff spot, and Hopkins' rightful place among the elite four teams in the Conference.
