Volleyball wins Centennial Conference crown

After finishing up the regular season with a seven game win streak, the Hopkins women’s volleyball team entered the conference tournament primed to take on Swarthmore College. However, any hopes for a normal week of practice were erased after Hurricane Sandy rolled through the region. Even with the aftermath of the hurricane, The Jays knew they needed to come in ready to play.

The Garnet came out strong holding the Blue Jays to a .222 hitting percentage. Despite Swarthmore’s effort, Hopkins prevailed to win the first set 25-20. In the second set the Blue Jays took control. Swarthmore was held to a measly .067 hitting percentage. Hopkins hammered away 15 kills to win 25-18. In the final set Hopkins used 11 kills to close out the match 25-15. Freshman star Jasmine Warmington had a match-high 15 kills while Amelia Thomas recorded 15 digs. A big congratulation goes out to Swarthmore’s Allison Coleman. She recorded 20 assists on Saturday to break the school’s all time assist record. Jasmine Warmington credited the Blue Jay’s success to “coming out strong and not allowing ourselves to get quiet on the court.”

The victory sent Hopkins into Sunday’s conference championship against #1 seed Franklin & Marshall. The Blue Jays were highly motivated, having suffered their only conference loss to the Diplomats

Hopkins came out strong, using a .314 hitting percentage to take the first set 25-17. An impressive 9-1 run allowed them to jump ahead 17-8 and cruise to victory. Freshman Gabi Rothman credited the team’s strong passing: “we’ve been working on defense and serve receiving for the past two weeks. The only we can run our strong hitters is with good defense.” The second set was much tighter as the Diplomats used rallies to even the score 18-18. However, the Blue Jays fired back with a three point rally to eventually win the set 25-22.

In the third set the Blue Jays got down early. It was the first time Hopkins had trailed the whole match. Warmington commented, “We came together and focused on the next point and I think that’s what helped us rally back when we were down.” The match was eventually tied 15-15 before a Katie Schwarz kill sparked a 8-1 run. The Blue Jays never looked back as Warmington crushed a kill at 24-19 to send Hopkins into the NCAA Tournament.

Warmington, recently named Conference Player of the Year, a feat even more remarkable given the fact this is only her first season of collegiate ball, led the match with 14 kills while Schwarz added nine kills and 12 digs. Freshman Carolyn Zin also dished out a team-high 19 assists. Warmington described herself as “Absolutely ecstatic! I love being a part of this team and I’m so excited to give it my all as we try to make history this next weekend.” With the win Hopkins became the first Centennial conference team to knock off a top seed since Haverford bested Gettysburg in 2008.

The win gave Hopkins their second consecutive Centennial Conference title. Also, by finishing the regular season with 29 wins the Blue Jays set a new school record. Next up for the Blue Jays is the first round of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships. Hopkins will focus on continuing to play at a high level. Their strong defense has been spot on and will certainly be a key to success. Warmington also added “strong defense allows all of our hitters to improve.” The improvement of the team’s hitters has allowed Hopkins to utilize their middles more. This addition is a supplement to Hopkins already dynamic offense.

In next week’s NCAA action the Blue Jays will face off against Richard Stockton College. The Ospreys are recent winners of the New Jersey Athletic conference. Nonetheless, this matchup appears favorable for Hopkins. Richard Stockton has had trouble against other Centennial Conference opponents, pulling off narrow victories against Haverford and Franklin & Marshall. The Ospreys also dropped a recent match to Cabrini College, a team the Blue Jays swept earlier in the year.

No matter the opponent, Hopkins will come out ready to play. The young and energetic team is certain to be amped for the match. Warmington stated “I’m looking forward to going on to the NCAA’s. Knowing any game could be your last is a great motivator. It inspires you to give each point your all. I’m excited to see how far our team can go.” The motivated, and recently christened MVP, will do everything it takes to extend their senior leaders careers. With such enthusiasm the Blue Jays look primed to continue their winning ways.