W. Volleyball runs win streak to 16 games

Over the past three days, the Hopkins women’s Volleyball team broke old records and set new ones by defeating four different teams to start their season at 16-0. Hopkins has now shattered their previous consecutive wins record of 15 games straight. This is, without a doubt, the fastest start for the volleyball team in history, as the team has shown determination, heart, and a willingness to strive for perfection. Hopkins entered the weekend with a record of 12 wins and zero losses. In their first game they faced a tough opponent in Gallaudet on Friday night in Baltimore. The perfect season seemed in jeopardy as the Bison took control in the first set against a startled Blue Jays team. Despite having the lead in the set, Hopkins was unable to contain a Gallaudet attack that went on an 8-3 run to secure the first set. However, the girls put the tough start behind them and unleashed a powerful attack to salvage the second set, 25-22. With the momentum swinging to their favor, the Jays became a cohesive unit, going on a remarkable 17-3 run in the third set. They were led by sophomore Anne Cohen’s 10 consecutive points on serve to claim the third set 25-8. With a 2-1 set lead, freshman Jasmine Warmington and sophomore Ellen Rogers led the offense with a combined 16 kills while senior captain Amelia Thomas played solid defense to help the team secure a 25-20 win in the fourth set and keep the perfect season intact. However, the weekend was far from over for the Blue Jays who made the trip up the turnpike to Allentown, PA to take on Muhlenberg College. Hopkins took control from the first point to the last in the first set, winning 25-17 behind a strong balance of aggressive offense and stellar defense. In the second half, the offense erupted behind star attacker Warmington, concluding a quick second half in professional fashion 25-9. Warmington’s heroics prevailed again in the second half as the Jays held on 25-22 to secure a 3-0 victory. Warmington finished the game with 13 kills with help from sophomore Mariel Metalios who dished out 18 assists. Thomas led the way on defense with 17 digs, helping the Jays preserve the undefeated season. Finally, the team finished off the weekend with a doubleheader in St. Mary’s, MD where they faced two tough opponents in Messiah College and St. Mary’s College. Still clinging onto the perfect season, the girls entered the doubleheader determined to leave with that record still intact. The first match of the afternoon was against Messiah in which the Blue Jays took a commanding 2-0 sets lead after pummeling Messiah 25-9 in the first set and 25-18 in the second set. However, the momentum seemed to shift when the two teams were deadlocked deep into the late stages of the third set. The defense, led by Thomas, was able to prevail and help Hopkins overcome the Messiah effort by edging out a 26-24 third set win. With a 15-0 record, the Jays went into the second game of the doubleheader confident and ready to finish off the weekend on a high note with a win against St. Mary’s. Early on in the match, it didn’t appear as though a new school record would be achieved as St. Mary’s took a commanding 2-0 sets lead over the Blue Jays. When it appeared that the perfect season was quickly coming to a close, the Jays came together stronger and more determined than they ever had before. In impressive fashion, Hopkins stormed back to win the third set 25-20, proving that the match was far from over. The momentum clearly had shifted when the Jays absolutely dominated all aspects of the fourth set, winning easily 25-14. With the game knotted 2-2 in sets, Hopkins worked harder than they had all season to secure a fifth set victory 15-11 and set a new Hopkins volleyball record for 16 consecutive victories in a single season. Warmington, who leads the Centennial Conference in most offensive categories, was once again a crucial contributor to the victory with help from sophomore Katie Schwarz. Unfortunately, the win streak came to an end this Tuesday as the Stevenson Mustangs defeated Hopkins in straight sets, falling to 16-1. The team had won an impressive 29 regular season matches in a row dating back to September 27th of last year. Despite the loss, Hopkins is poised and ready to continue their surge towards the Centennial Conference crown and a run to the NCAA Championship. They’ve not only shown how they can work together to achieve their goals but also have demonstrated that they’re resilient and unwilling to accept anything short of their best. The Jays will next look to get back on track against Washington (Md.) tonight at 7PM and against Swarthmore College this weekend.