The Hopkins volleyball team capped off a strong week with impressive wins over Hood College and Centennial Conference rivals Swarthmore and Franklin and Marshall. The victories improved the Jays' record to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in the Centennial. Hopefully these wins provide a good indication of what's to come for the Jays.
After having their five-match winning streak snapped by Stevenson last Tuesday, the Jays' looked to bounce back and reestablish themselves. They did just that, beginning with a three-set sweep of the Blazers of Hood College last Thursday.
The Blue Jays entered their second straight non-conference affair looking to regain their momentum and prepare themselves for their four upcoming Centennial Conference matches. After a hard-fought first-set victory, 25-17, the Blue Jays easily handled the Blazers in the second and third sets, winning 25-8 and 25-16, respectively.
The first set began with both teams alternating points, until halfway through the set at an 11-11 score. That's when a kill from freshman middle blocker Allison Chisenhall put the Blue Jays ahead for good. When Hopkins found itself leading 20-17, freshman outside hitter Meagan Donohue stepped up and served five consecutive points to give the Jays a 25-17 win.
It was smooth sailing after the gritty first-set, with Hopkins jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the second set behind freshman Mariel Metalios' effective serving.
The Jays dominated the second-set 25-8, providing extra confidence for the third set. The Jays got off to a quick start once again, behind the serving of freshman Taylor Jansen.
Despite the 7-0 start, the Blazers were not going to go away that easily on their home court.
They pulled to within five points to cut the lead to 20-15, but the Jays stopped the Blazers' momentum to take the third set 25-16. The 3-0 sweep in straight sets marked the Jays' ninth of the season. Freshman outside hitter Katie Schwartz led the Jays' with 10 kills followed by freshman middle hitter Ellen Rogers with eight.
On the defensive end, Metalios not only served her way to help the Jays jump out to an early second set lead, but she also lead all players with 15 digs and contributed 35 assists.
The Jays' commanding road win certainly reassured their confidence in preparation for their next match against Centennial Conference foe Swarthmore.
The Lady Jays entered Saturday's match with the expectation of effectively moving ahead of the Swarthmore Garnet in the Centennial Conference standings. The Jays understood that they would have to execute in order to hand the Garnet their fifth loss of the year.
Hopkins's ladies did not disappoint, and won their 12th match of the season in what proved to be a five-set onerous battle. The close start to the first-set provided a good indication of the type of match this would be, with neither team being able to find much separation.
Swarthmore capitalized on their minimal opportunities however, and rallied behind two separate four-point runs to take the first set 25-19. The second set was more evenhanded than the first, with both teams countering the others' offenses with runs of their own.
After the Garnet responded to a three point Blue Jay run, the teams found themselves locked at 24. The Jays' collected themselves on the ensuing points however, and took advantage of two Garnet mistakes to give them a 26-24 victory.
Despite the shift in momentum toward Hopkins, Swarthmore made the adjustments necessary to ensure a 25-20 win in the third set. The Jays never led in the third set, and thus would need to make adjustments of their own in order to even the match.
The Jays neutralized the Swarthmore attach in set four, and used an early seven-point run to enable a 25-17 win and force a fifth set. The Garnet have had more experience in five set matches this year, having been involved in two as compared to the Jays lone five set match resulting in a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Case Western University in early September.
The Garnet were winless in their two prior five set matches as well, and
fortunately would remain that way. The fifth is only played up to 15 as opposed to 25, and thus an early lead is even more significant. In the closest match played by both teams this season, the Jays' found themselves down to their final point as Swarthmore held a 14-12 lead.
The Jays responded with a three-point swing to take a 15-14 lead. Swarthmore countered with resilience of their own, evening the score at 15 apiece.
A huge kill from freshman middle hitter Katie Bronson gave the Jays a 16-15 lead, which they followed up with the game winning point to earn a valiant 3-2 victory.
The freshmen stepped up once again for the Jays, with Donohue's 18 kills and Metalios' 12 digs coupling her 40 assists.
On Wednesday, Hopkins eased by Franklin and Marshall, 3-0, breaking a first-place tie between the teams in the Centennial. Hopkins has battled through their tough scheudle so far and will continue to be tested with four of their next five games against conference foes.
Hopkins will return home October 15 against Haverford.
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