Our Lady Jays gathered another two wins over the past week, this time versus 3-17 Notre Dame (MD) and 9-15 Bryn Mawr, the Johns Hopkins women's volleyball team took another step towards the postseason in a sparkling second year for Head Coach Matt Troy.
The victories were the teams eighth and ninth in a row, giving the team an overall record of 19-4 and an undefeated Centennial Conference mark of 8-0. The Blue Jays opened the week's play on the road versus Notre Dame.
The match began with a decisive 25-4 win in the first set which dictated the pace for the rest of the afternoon.
Notre Dame simply could not handle the power of senior Melissa Cole who had eight kills and three aces, or the touch of freshman Mariel Metalios who had 21 assists for the Blue Jays. Following the torrid start, Hopkins went on to win 3-0 with set scores of 25-9 and 25-6 to finish off the match.
In their second game of the week, Hopkins took their winning streak on the road to out-of-state rival Bryn Mawr in Bryn Mawr, PA. In spite of the travel, the Blue Jays once again dominated with a 3-0 victory, winning their sets 25-18, 25-12, and 25-16.
The team was again led by Cole, along with freshman Katie Schwarz, each with seven kills, while Metalios again controlled the tempo of the game with 14 helpers.
With the wins coming in spades, it could have gotten difficult for the team
to maintain focus over the course of the long season. However, senior Melissa Cole credits the team's success to "continually improving throughout the season […] and connecting really well together on the court."
For Cole, this season is her last chance at a Centennial Conference title after the team finished as high as third her freshman and junior seasons.
"Winning the conference is a huge deal to me especially because we never have before," she said. "I think the entire team feels the way I do and wants to win the conference tournament. All of us have been working hard towards that goal."
Her four year journey from young freshman to star senior has given Cole countless memories, but no matter how the season does end for the Blue Jays, Cole says she will miss her teammates the most after leaving.
"They are my closest friends here at Hopkins and we spend so much time together on and off the court," Cole said.
However her career is not done yet, and with 200 kills and 242 digs on the season she has shown that sense of urgency on the court to propel the 2011 Blue Jays to heights not seen in quite some time.
For Coach Troy, with his team holding an overall record of 19-4 he has done a tremendous job in his second year at the helm of the Hopkins women's volleyball program.
Last season, the rookie coach led the Jays to a 19-12 record and a respectable third place conference finish at 8-2.
However, with a year under his belt Maryland native has taken his team to a new level, 8-0 in the Centennial Conference.
The team currently stands at fifth in the latest Mid-Atlantic regional rankings, a region which hosts the fifth ranked national team, Eastern.
Perhaps with a few more wins, the Blue Jays would have an opportunity to move closer to making the national rankings and earn a chance on the national stage in Washington University Fieldhouse, home to the 2011-2012 DIII Women's Volleyball Championships.
On Wednesday the Green Terror hosted the Blue Jays. The Terror were 0-23 before facing Hopkins.
After the dust cleared, the Lady Jays had added another win to their record, improving to 20-4 while McDaniel dropped to 0-24. The game was characteristic of the action displayed against their previous opponent.
Winning 10 in a row, the Jays have clinched a first round bye in the Centennial Conference tournament.
This squad has earned the advantage they now hold going foward.
Coach Troy's squad now has only three matches to go before post season play begins. In Centennial Conference play, the Blue Jays stand neck-in-neck with rival Gettysburg for top honors.
That dispute will soon be answered though as the two teams take to the court this Saturday at Goldfarb Gym. Be sure to follow the action on the court and after the games are played back here at The News-Letter.
