Hi everyone, and welcome to the inaugural Hopkins Sports in Review for the 2024–2025 year! Here at the Sports section, we’re proud to be bringing back our coverage of Hopkins sports games. Let’s take a look at the start of our athletes’ seasons!
Women’s Volleyball: W(3–0), W(3–0), W(3–0)
The first home game of the season was outstanding, as the women’s volleyball team triumphed three sets to zero against Ithaca College. Our athletes took the first set with an eight point margin (25–17) before battling it out for the second and third sets (28–26, 25–23). The Blue Jays are now ranked third in the AVCA/TERAFLEX 2024 Division III women’s volleyball poll — up from a preseason ranking of fourth place.
Women’s volleyball also shone in Saturday’s games against Susquehanna University and Marymount University last weekend at the Greg Giovanazzi Invitational here on Homewood Campus. The Blue Jays won both matches 3–0; shoutout to outside hitters — junior Simone Adams and senior Simrin Carsen — for their impressive 39 and 23 kills this weekend, respectively. Additionally, shoutout to Adams and senior middle/opposite Brooklyn Pater for receiving the Centennial Conference awards for Best Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week.
Women’s volleyball will be back to business this weekend at the New York University (NYU) tournament, facing host NYU on Friday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. They will also be playing University of California, Santa Cruz and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Men’s Water Polo: W(16–7), W(13–10), W(8–4), L(10–24)
The men’s water polo team had a great weekend at the Salem Open as they beat Mercyhurst University, Gannon University and Long Island University (LIU) in West Virginia. In the opening game against Mercyhurst, the Jays won three quarters and tied the final quarter, leading to an aggregate final score of 16–7. Later on Saturday, our athletes took on Gannon, rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Golden Knights by 13–10 after three goals in five minutes by sophomore Alec Baker.
On the second day of the tournament, the Blue Jays clinched its third win in the tournament with another impressive victory over LIU. Our team won the first and fourth quarters, as six different players got their names on the score sheet. In the final game of this weekend, the Jays fell 10–24 to hosts Salem University, as the Tigers gained an early lead in the first quarter.
Congratulations to freshman Phillip Long for winning the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Rookie of the Week award after an impressive start to the season in the Navy Open. Keep an eye out for our water polo team as they head to the Bucknell Invitational next Sunday!
Football: W(14–3)
Hopkins football is off to a good start in their 2024 campaign, winning their second matchup of the season 14–3 over the Christopher Newport University (CNU) Captains, improving the Blue Jays to a perfect 2–0 in the year. The game was a battle to the finish, but the Blue Jay defense prevailed, holding CNU to only 144 total yards of offense. Both teams struggled to put drives together early, but after a scoreless first quarter, the Blue Jays found the endzone early in the second quarter on a 28-yard reception by senior wide receiver PJ Scales. CNU answered quickly but was held to only a field goal bringing the score to 7–3, where it would stay going into the halftime break.
The second half opened with another scoreless stretch, with neither team mounting a scoring effort until late in the third quarter. It was Hopkins who put the game away, giving themselves a two-score lead on another linkup between senior quarterback Bay Harvey and wide receiver Scales with a minute left in the third quarter. The star of this game was the Blue Jay defense which stifled the Captains at every turn. Senior linebacker Cole Peters led the way with 12 tackles, including one tackle for loss, as part of a dominating defensive performance from the Blue Jays across the board.
The football team’s season will continue this Saturday, Sept. 21, as the Blue Jays take on the Salisbury University Sea Gulls at Homewood Field.
Women’s Field Hockey: W(4–0)
Our field hockey athletes swept past the College of New Jersey Lions in a 4–0 win at Homewood Field this Saturday. Goals by senior Sophie Gomez and junior Grace Waldeck in the first quarter gave the Blue Jays a lead which they held on to for the rest of the game. After scoreless second and third quarters, Hopkins extended their lead in the final quarter as seniors Emily Amsden and Ava Balacek got their names on the scoresheet.
The team improved to a 5–1 record in the season and are now ranked second in the Women’s Field Hockey Centennial Conference. Congratulations to graduate student Lila Slattery for being awarded the conference Offensive Player of the Week last week! Our team will be back in action on Sept. 25 as they take on McDaniel College at Homewood Field.
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