After a strong win against conference opponent Dickinson College last Wednesday, the Hopkins women's volleyball squad looked to carry the momentum into Saturday’s doubleheader. The two matches on Saturday marked the third weekend in a row the Blue Jays would have to grind through a doubleheader. As always, strong focus and energy seemed to play a key role in the Hopkins game plan for the day. Goldfarb Gym was filled with excitement as the Blue Jays prepared to take on the Bryn Mawr Owls in the first match of Parent’s Weekend. With limited success in the past, Bryn Mawr knew they had a difficult task ahead in their matchup against Hopkins.
In the opening moments of the first set Bryn Mawr came out ready to play, winning the first three points. However, Hopkins immediately responded and never looked back as the Blue Jays won in straight sets (25-10, 25-6, 25-15). Hopkins held Bryn Mawr to a measly .015 hitting percentage. In the matchup, the seniors fittingly led the way on Senior Day. Carolyn Mickelson totaled two solo blocks and six assists while Becky Paynter dished out 17 assists. Amelia Thomas also notched a team-high nine digs.
Next up for the Blue Jays were the Crusaders from Susquehanna University, a gritty squad who would prove to be a tough opponent. Susquehanna took the lead early in the first set 22-15. Despite the deficit, Hopkins was able to battle back, winning the next seven points to even it up. However, Susquehanna would pull ahead, ultimately taking the first set 25-22. A determined Hopkins squad returned in the second set, opening up a 12-point lead before finally capturing the set 25-18. In the third set the Blue Jays were able to post a .390 hitting percentage to lead them to a 25-20 advantage. In the fourth and final set, the Crusaders refused to go down without a fight. Susquehanna nursed an 18-13 lead to start, before Hopkins came together to close out the match 25-23.
Freshman Jasmine Warmington credited the victories to a disciplined team approach in avoiding unforced errors, saying "We worked on it a lot in practice and I think it helped a lot.”
In the match Warmington notched her 315th kill of the season. Along with putting her near the top of the NCAA’s leaderboard, number 315 etched Warmington’s name in the Johns Hopkins record books. The California native had two kills in limited time against Bryn Mawr, before pounding away eight kills against Susquehanna in the final match of the day. Warmington’s total pushed her by '04 graduate Stephanie Kaliades whose 12 year record had stood since the 2000 season. Warmington described her record-setting kill as “Amazing! I loved how my whole team was very supportive and it feels great to be a big part of this team. I can’t wait to prove ourselves this year at the conference tournament.”
Meagan Donohoe, a 2011 All-American, recorded 10 kills with a .320 hitting percentage. Amelia Thomas once again paced Hopkins with a team-high 17 digs. Freshman Carolyn Zin also dished out a team-high 26 assists against Susquehanna. The coaching staff had to be proud of Zin’s effort throughout the matches whose skill visibly contributed to the Blue Jays success.
With its victory against Bryn Mawr the Blue Jays improved to (25-3, 7-1) locking up a spot in the Centennial Conference playoffs.
On Saturday, Hopkins travels to Pennsylvania to take on Gettysburg College. The final matchup will surely be a tough battle as Gettysburg looks to lock up one of the final conference playoff bids. Gettysburg holds a commanding 8-29 lead in the series record. Nonetheless, Hopkins should be able to come out Saturday and take care of business. A Hopkins victory Saturday would be essential as the Blue Jays look for momentum heading into the Centennial Conference tournament.
Though the main focus is obviously placed on their own matchups, Hopkins will most definitely be paying close attention to conference rival Franklin & Marshall College. Any sort of letdown by the Diplomats should allow Hopkins to host the conference tournament in Goldfarb Gym. The final week of regular season play is sure to be an exciting one, with many matchups holding playoff implications.
Late Wednesday night score: Women’s Volleyball played McDaniel, winning 3-0. Full coverage can be seen in next week’s issue.
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