Volleyball tops Bryn Mawr in straight sets

After a rocky start to the season, the Hopkins volleyball team has settled down in the second half of its Centennial Conference campaign. The Lady Jays are currently riding a six-game winning streak after recently sailing to an easy road victory this past weekend in Bryn Mawr, Pa. The Lady Jays stormed into their rival's gym and beat the Owls in straight sets, 3-0. Hopkins looked like the better team from the opening moments of the match and earned the decisive victory due to strong defensive play and an efficient and effective serving game. Defensively, freshman Erica Johnston and junior Carolyn Zin led the Lady Jays in the back court. The Lady Jays had a total of 48 digs on the day, with Johnston accounting for 11 and Zin adding another 10 of her own. As a team, Hopkins held the Owls to a .066 hitting percentage, forcing the opponent to earn every one of its points. On the offensive side of the ball, the Lady Jays utilized their serving game to put the Owls on their heels. The opening set finished with a final score of 25-12 in favor of Hopkins, as the team notched 11 total kills while committing only five errors during the entire set. The Lady Jays also notched a hitting percentage of .250 during the first set. Building off of the momentum generated in the first set, the offense was even stronger during the second set as the Lady Jays notched a .438 hitting percentage. In addition, the team generated points through 17 kills and only committed three errors in the entire set, besting the Owls by a score of 25-17. With the Owls on their heels, the Lady Jays continued to stick to their game plan of steady serving and solid team defense. While their hitting percentage was not as high as the first two sets, the Lady Jays relied on their defense and eventually defeated the Owls in the third set by a final score of 25-17, solidifying the 3-0 straight-set victory. Freshman Liz Wuerstle spoke about the overall team play, saying she was impressed by how far the team has come this season. “Each and every person on the team has contributed in such integral ways to our game and development this season," Wuerstle said. "We have such an amazing group of girls this year." Wuerstle led Hopkins in many offensive categories against the Owls. She was especially deadly behind the end line, serving six of the team’s nine aces during the match. Wuerstle also added 10 kills to the Lady Jay attack, finishing the game with a hitting percentage of .322. After the match, Wuerstle discussed how the team felt unified throughout the match. “We really played for each other," she said. "We were able to find our rhythm and energy as the match went on.” Sophomore Ally Hirsch was also an integral piece of the Hopkins offense adding seven kills of her own. Johnston, freshman Kristi Rhead and freshman Mereze Visagle rounded out the rest of the Hopkins offense, combining for an additional 10 kills. Senior Anne Cohen and junior Stephanie Yokoyama combined for 14 digs of their own in the match. With the victory over Bryn Mawr, Hopkins currently stands at 15-10 on the season. The Lady Jays have won 12 of their last 14 games overall as well as the past six in a row. After a shaky start, the Lady Jays hope to make a late push for a playoff run. The Lady Jays face another conference opponent in their next match on Oct. 30, when the team heads south to face off against the McDaniel Green Terror. McDaniel is currently seventh overall in the conference, while the Lady Jays sit three places above them in fourth place. After McDaniel, Hopkins will face fifth-ranked Gettysburg, which could prove to be a deciding factor in the Lady Jays’ playoff hopes. When discussing the rest of the season, Wuerstle emphasized the importance of improving for each upcoming match. “Against McDaniel, we are going to go out playing our hardest and embrace the opportunity," she said. "The same goes for the [Centennial Conference] playoffs. We are going to keep working to improve our skills and refine our rhythm and energy"