Volleyball surges to CC playoff matchup

In one of the most remarkable finishes to what has been an overall great season, the Hopkins women’s volleyball team ended their regular season with a complete sweep of the Gettysburg College Bullets at their Saturday home game. The Lady Jays won in straight sets with ease, extending their overall winning streak to eight games and finishing out the season in great fashion. The motivation was clearly there for the Lady Jays after they pulled out a huge win in five sets against McDaniel College last Wednesday after coming back from two sets down. Before that, the Lady Jays won in three sets against Bryn Mawr College. The continuous momentum has propelled the team to one of their best finishes in recent history. The Bullets end their season with a 19-11 record. As a result of their loss, Gettysburg was eliminated from playoff contention, as only the top five teams in the conference qualify for playoffs. Although the Lady Jays started off a little slow, a timeout provided a moment for the team to refocus. Down in the first set at 10-4, the Lady Jays received a motivational speech from the coaching staff before returning to the court with a new mentality. Two aces from freshman Liz Wuerstle paved the way for a tremendous comeback to lead 18-17, topped off by another ace from the talented freshman. Kills from sophomore Ally Hirsch, junior Ali Cox, freshman Erica Johnston and freshman Mereze Visagie gave Hopkins the 25-21 set victory. The second set proved to be more unpredictable. Kills from Hirsch, Johnston and Visagie gave the Lady Jays a 16-12 advantage, but neither team developed a large edge. It then became tight as the Bullets then came back to tie at 18. Neither team backed down from there as the Lady Jays produced three kills by Wuerstle, Rhead and Johnston for a 21-19 edge. Hopkins went on to clinch the set 25-22. The Lady Jays came out firing at the beginning of the third set, quickly jumping to a commanding 14-3 lead. The Bullets narrowed the margin to 19-9, but the Lady Jays maintained their course with Wuerstle and Rhead playing a big role in earning the final six points of the set. The set ended 25-10 to give the Lady Jays their eighth straight victory. Strong awareness combined with a unique ability to overcome adversity have also played key roles in success throughout the season. “A large part of how we train during practice is to use our eyes and to pick up cues from the other team throughout each individual play,” junior Stephanie Yokoyama said. “Even with a detailed scouting report, we are still ready to adjust accordingly as the game progresses. We also work to fine-tune that silver lining between aggression and mindfulness.” The Lady Jays entered the first round of the Centennial playoffs riding their eight-game winning streak. The squad faced off against a familiar foe in Franklin & Marshall, one of the toughest teams in the conference. The Lady Jays bested the Diplomats in five sets earlier in the season and entered Goldfarb Gymnasium hoping for another key victory. To the dismay of the Lady Jays and the Hopkins faithful in attendance, F&M bested the Lady Jays in five sets, 3-2. The Diplomats took the final set by a score of 15-9 to snap the Lady Jays’ winning streak and effectively end the season for Hopkins. Hopkins finishes the season with a record of 17-11 overall and a 9-3 record in conference play. Wuerstle led the team with 281 kills on the season, while Rhead led the team in assists with a total of 489, 91 more than anyone else.