Jays triumphant in tri-match
|
Salisbury, Richard Stockton, and Hopkins still wanted to play and were able to get to Salisbury. So instead of a tournament they found themselves in a tri-match, in which each team plays two matches - one against each team present. While not a tournament, it was enough for Hopkins to do the second thing it does best: winning matches.
The Lady Jays battled both Richard Stockton and Salisbury to the full five games, and in the end, Hopkins emerged from both games victorious. Against Richard Stockton, the offensive quartet of sophomore hitter Kate O'Callaghan, sophomore middle blocker Jennifer Hajj, senior hitter Stephanie Kaliades, and co-captain and middle blocker Samantha Raggi pounded away at the opposition, combining for 40 kills.
This outstanding offensive play was augmented by the inspired and versatile offensive and defensive play of junior co-captain and setter Betsy Baydala.
Baydala led Hopkins (10-4) with 37 assists and 17 digs in the first match of the day against Stockton. Her sterling play enabled the Blue Jays to take games one and three both by a score of 30 to 24. After losing games two and four by 30-24 and 30-21, respectively, the Blue Jays eventually won the rubber game 15 to 11.
However, the Blue Jays struggled mightily in the next match, and soon found they could not keep up with Salisbury. Hopkins fell to Salisbury in game one 32-30, and then again in game three 30-22, and found itself in a two-games-to-one hole - a situation the Jays could only climb out of with wins in games four and five.
But Hopkins regrouped, and clawed its way back into the game. According to head coach Scott Penneville, his team "keeps a good mental balance and is prepared to play extended matches if necessary."
Baydala led the comeback charge with a season high of 45 assists at the net, aiding O'Callaghan and Kaliades, who combined for 40 kills and 45 digs. This standout offensive effort was complemented by the backcourt, as freshman setter Lizzie Kay continued her outstanding defensive play this year, contributing 24 digs to Hopkins' cause. In the end, this proved just enough to tip the scales of victory in the Blue Jays' favor, with Hopkins winning game four 30-22, and taking the decisive game five 15-9.
Penneville was "glad we were to be able to play two matches versus Richard Stockton and Salisbury State. Perseverance was the word of the day and we kept our focus throughout the matches to stay on top. Neither match had either team establish dominance or consistent tempo, so it was good to see our team maintain composure and get the win."
"We happily walked away with two wins...our defense really stepped it up for the win and even when the score was tight, our team persevered," Raggi said.
And for the Blue Jays, according to freshman middle blocker Amy Green, nothing was sweeter than beating Salisbury for the second week in a row. "It felt great to beat Salisbury again, especially in its own gym," she said.
Despite a hectic week with an unforeseen natural disaster and last-minute schedule changes, the Lady Jays hung on to come up with two clutch victories.
The Lady Jays will host the Hopkins Invitational this Friday, Sept. 26.