This weekend was the annual Centennial Conference Volleyball Championship Tournament. Five teams competed for the automatic bid into the NCAA Volleyball Tournament. After going undefeated in Conference play during the regular season, Hopkins was the #1 seed and therefore was able to host the tournament here at Homewood.
The Jays got a relatively easy win in four sets on Saturday against Muhlenberg College to earn a spot in the championship game on Sunday against the Swarthmore College Garnet, who Hopkins beat in a tightly fought five-set matchup in the regular season.
With such high expectations going into the rematch, it would be hard to live up to the hype, but the Jays did just that and more.
The match started out about as poorly as possible for the Blue Jays. They quickly fell behind 5-1 and were forced to use a timeout to reset. After allowing two more points, including the second service ace of the game from Swarthmore sophomore Sarah Girard, Hopkins turned the game around and went on their own 5-1 run to close the gap to an 8-6 deficit.
From that point on it was a back and forth set, with Hopkins clawing back and eventually tying the score at 18 after a kill by junior outside hitter Elizabeth Wuerstle.
Both teams fought hard, but two service errors, the Achilles Heel for the Blue Jays all year, eventually gave the Garnet a 26-24 win.
The second set picked up right where the first left off, with both teams trading punches to get to a 9-9 tie. However, the Jays would go on to score five straight points and go up 14-9 on the Garnet. But the Garnet would not quit.
Swarthmore fought its way back and eventually came out on top at the end of the set, finishing in another close 30-28 battle. For the second set in a row, the Blue Jays could not overcome their four service errors and were just one set away from defeat.
In the third set, the Blue Jays’ energy changed, as they fought to go up two sets to none. The team seemed more loose and worked together tenaciously to tighten up some of their mistakes from the first two sets.
The adjustments the Jays made between sets worked, and their new approach allowed them to tale the lead by as many as seven points and eventually hold off a late Swarthmore rally to win the set in yet another close 25-22 competition.
Even after a third set win, the Jays had their work cut out for them, as they needed to win two consecutive sets to come back and win. Any questions as to which Hopkins team would show up for the fourth set were quieted quickly.
The Blue Jays rode their momentum from the third set to dominate the Garnet in the fourth. They did not trail once the entire set and led by as many as nine points, winning 25-17 and forcing a decisive fifth set.
Hopkins carried their momentum into the final set, scoring the first six points. From there on it was a straightforward path to the 15-10 win. This was the first time in the history of the championship match that a team came back from losing the first two sets to become the Centennial Conference Champions.
Freshman outside hitter Louisa Kishton had a standout performance, setting career highs for both kills and digs with 20 each. The outstanding achievement earned her tournament MVP honors. Kishton commented on what it was that contributed to her success.
“Trust in my teammates,” Kishton said. “I knew someone else would be there backing me up if I made a mistake and that I would be there to back them up as well.”
Other top performers for the Blue Jays included Wuerstle, who had 17 kills and 16 digs, and senior captain Ally Hirsch, who added a career high 17 kills of her own.
Hirsch explained what changed for the Jays after the second set.
“We came into the match with some nerves, but by the time we got to the third set we were able to shake them off and get back to playing Hopkins volleyball,” Hirsch said.
The team will need to shake off those nerves earlier during the coming weeks, when they face much stiffer competition in the NCAA tournament. The Jays’ first round matchup will be against 24th ranked Christopher Newport University (CNU). Earlier this season, Hopkins played at Christopher Newport and lost in four sets. However, this was without starting freshman setter Sarah Elnozahy.
The Jays performance against Swarthmore should also help to boost their confidence as they enter the postseason. During the upcoming week, the Blue Jays will prepare for the rematch against CNU.
“Each time we are on the court, we are growing,” Hirsch said. “We can put a lot in the bank from this past weekend.”
With the newfound confidence, Hopkins looks to make a deep run in the tournament this Friday.
