Lewis assists way into Blue Jay history

Amanda Lewis is lending a helping hand to her team, literally.

Lewis, a senior captain who plays the setter position, holds nearly every assist record in the Hopkins record book, and is only 114 assists away from the overall Centennial Conference record. It is the contributions of Lewis, not only this season but also over the past four years, which have helped make volleyball one of the most successful sports at Hopkins.

Currently in her fourth season as the primary setter for the Blue Jays, Lewis is part of a strong core of players returning from last year's team. As one of 15 returning letter winners, she has been a big part of the team's 17-5 record and first place standing in the Centennial Conference. Lewis has been piling up stats this season. Playing in 86 of her team's 87 games, she not only leads the team in assists (with 705 of the team's 883 assists), but also boasts a .273 hit percentage, a team leading 237 digs, and 111 kills and 36 blocks. This last stat is particularly impressive, since in volleyball setters are not usually good blockers.

"The irony is that while she has been setting all this time, I don't think people realize that she is really a force as an attacker," Head coach Greg Giovanazzi said.

"My stats were best freshman year, but as a player I've mentally improved. And now I'm hitting this year which I've never done before. It's definitely an improvement" Lewis said.

Lewis and the rest of the team have started to hit their stride during the important Conference part of their schedule. The Jays are 6-1 in their last seven matches, five of those wins coming against conference opponents, and have not dropped a set since Oct. 8. In her last four matches, Lewis has recorded two triple doubles, including 11 kills, 37 assists and 14 digs against third ranked Gettysburg, tallied 31 assist versus Franklin & Marshall and 21 assists and seven kills versus Swarthmore.

"Her contributions to the team are numerous," Giovanazzi said. "She plays the whole game at a high level. On the court she is a force."

Lewis currently holds the top three spots in the Hopkins and Centennial Conference record books for assists in a single season, and also holds the top three spots in assists per game. She also holds the conference record for most assists in a four-game match and a five-game match. She also has the seventh highest total in conference history for assists in a single season.

While the team returned most of its core from last year's team which made the ECAC South Championship game, one of the biggest adjustments was to a new coach. After playing for coach Scott Pennewill for the first three of her collegiate years, Lewis had to adjust to playing for a new coach, Giovanazzi.

"It was hard to adjust in the beginning. He has a completely different coaching style," Lewis said. "He's laid back. He doesn't believe in running us as much as Pennewill. (Giovanazzi) is laid back, but he has so much experience and we're really lucky."

Giovanazzi, who was an All-American volleyball star at UCLA before coaching the Olympic team and the University of Michigan in the '90s, raves about Lewis's leadership.

"Leadership in sports is a team dynamic. Amanda is a great leader because of how she approaches the game," Giovanazzi said. "I have coached some amazing teams and players, and I would put Amanda and her teammates at the top of the list in regard to how they have built this concept - an entire team where each player is part of the leadership. And it comes back to Amanda and the seniors who are the foundation."

The team still has a few games left in its conference schedule, but in her senior year, Lewis is not hesitant to express her desire to go out on a great note. In Lewis's freshman year, the team finished with a record of 24 wins and seven losses and won the regular season conference title, but lost in the conference tournament. The team did not make the conference tournament her sophomore year and last year lost in the conference tournament semifinals.

"We all really wanted to win conference championships, which right now we're seeded first because of our three-way tie," Lewis said. "But we come out first which is awesome. Our goal is to win the tournament. We haven't won since I've been here."

At some point, however, the season will come to an end, as will the career of one of the greatest setters in Centennial Conference history. As such, Lewis is trying to cherish these final games of her career.

"It's already hitting me how sad I'm going to be," Lewis said. "We only have three more conference games left. At the beginning of the season I thought I'd be ready to move on. But I'm going to miss it, and I'll miss my teammates and the camaraderie."

While Lewis is still not sure what she wants to do after she graduates, the solid foundation she has developed on and off the court should help her achieve even more greatness.