Oct. 22, 2002

Last Week: The Blue Jays went 3-0 last week to improve to 18-16 overall and 7-0 in Centennial Conference action. JHU defeated Washington College, 3-0 before sweeping a conference tri-match versus Dickinson and Ursinus. Hopkins topped the Red Devils in three games and defeated the Bears in four games.

This Week: JHU returns to action Wednesday as the Blue Jays travel to face Gettysburg in a key Centennial Conference match at 7:00 p.m. Hopkins then must go to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a match against Franklin & Marshall at 11:00 a.m.

The Coach: Head coach Chris Weidenborner is in his fourth season at Hopkins after a very successful first three seasons. He led JHU to a 67-41 record the last three years with three ECAC Tournament appearances. Weidenborner sports a 85-57 (.598 winning percentage) overall record with the Blue Jays. He is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport, where he enjoyed a three-year career as the team's captain and starting left-side hitter.

Team & Player Notes:

*Balanced Attack: The Blue Jays have displayed a balanced offensive attack this season as six players are averaging 1.70 kills per game or better, and seven players have over 100 kills. Stephanie Kaliades leads the team with 383 kills and 3.61 kills per game, while Samantha Raggi, and Elisabeth Breese rank second and third in kills per game with 2.56 and 2.49, respectively. Jen Hajj is fourth (2.11), while Skye Young and Kate O'Callaghan have averaged 1.76 and 1.71 kills per game, respectively. The Blue Jays are averaging 12.83 kills per game after 11.56 per game last season.

*Strength in Numbers: Through 34 matches, all 16 players have seen action, while 11 Blue Jays have played in 20 or more matches. Eleven players have collected at least 50 digs, while eight players have totaled 67 or more kills. For the 2001 season, eight players recorded double digit kills.

*Fast Start: With a 7-0 record in Centennial Conference matches, the Blue Jays are off to the best conference start in school history. JHU defeated Haverford and Muhlenberg, who both were in the Centennial playoffs a year ago, added a wins over Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr., and recorded wins over Washington, Dickinson, and Ursinus last week. Hopkins' final three CC matches are against Gettysburg (10/23), Franklin & Marshall (10/26), and McDaniel (10/30). Those three schools are a combined 15-4 in conference play this season.

* Breese Climbs Charts: Senior middle hitter Elisabeth Breese tallied 22 kills last week and is in third place at Hopkins with 932 career kills. She needs 68 kills to become the third player in school history with 1,000 for her career. Breese also ranks fifth at JHU in career blocks with 321. Breese has totaled three or more blocks in 17 matches this season, including a season-high nine versus Eastern on September 28. She leads the team with 95 blocks and is second with 309 kills.

* Baydala Continues Strong Play: Sophomore Betsy Baydala has collected double-digit digs in 22 matches this season. With 28 digs last week, Baydala moved into eighth place at Hopkins with 793 career digs. She moved back to the setter position over the last 17 matches and has performed very well. Baydala recorded a season-high 50 assists in JHU's five-game loss to Gallaudet last week, and has averaged 9.20 assists per game in JHU's last 17 matches. She leads the team in digs (386), assists (661), and is second in digs per game (3.11).

* Kaliades Leads Offense: Junior Stephanie Kaliades has been JHU's top offensive player this season as she leads the team in kills (383) and kills per game (3.61). She has totaled double-digit kills in 20 matches this season, including a season-high 24 versus the College of Notre Dame on September 24. Kaliades, one of three players in school history to collect over 300 kills in two different seasons, ranks ninth at Hopkins with 697 career kills. She also leads the team in aces (46) and is fifth in digs (177).

* Quick Notes:

~ Freshman Colby Perkins continues to lead the team in digs per game (3.20) and is second in total digs (351).

~ After missing the first 14 matches due to injury, junior Samantha Raggi has been a welcome addition to the middle hitter position. She is averaging 2.56 kills per game, leads the team in hitting percentage (.248), and is third on the squad with 46 blocks. As a freshman in 2000, Raggi ranked third on the team with 222 kills and led Hopkins with 75 blocks.

~ Freshman Kate O'Callaghan has totaled 62 kills in her last nine matches for an average of 2.06 kills per game. She also collected 74 digs during that time for an average of 2.46 per game.

* Assault on the Record Books

Individual Career Records:
* Career Kills:
1. Mary Alexis Paul 1,609 (1997-00)
2. Chrissy Horan 1,203 (1996-99)
3. Elisabeth Breese 932 (1999-pres.)
9. Stephanie Kaliades 697 (00, 02-pres.)
* Career Assists:
1. Michelle Dumler 3,376 (1996-99)
2. Courtney Cromwell 2,648 (1999-pres.)
3. Betsy Baydala 1,555 (2001-pres.)
* Career Aces:
1. Chrissy Horan 246 (1996-99)
6. Lori Leonard 139 (1992-95)
7. Betsy Baydala 133 (2001-pres.)
8. Courtney Cromwell 128 (1999-pres.)
* Career Blocks:
1. Lori Leonard 621 (1992-95)
4. Anita Patibandla 364 (1994-97)
5. Elisabeth Breese 321 (1999-pres.)
* Career Digs:
1. Mary Alexis Paul 1,419 (1997-00)
8. Betsy Baydala 793 (2001-pres.)
9. Anita Patibandla 783 (1994-97)
10. Courtney Cromwell 765 (1999-pres.)

Individual Season Records:
* Kills Per Game:
1. Mary Alexis Paul 4.88 2000
2. Emily Miller 3.74 2001
3. Stephanie Kaliades 3.61 2002
* Digs Per Game:
1. Emily Miller 4.07 2001
5. Mary Alexis Paul 3.49 1998
8. Colby Perkins 3.20 2002
9. Betsy Baydala 3.11 2002

Centennial Volleyball Standings (as of 10/21/02)
School, Conf., Overall
Franklin & Marshall, 7-0, 23-6
Johns Hopkins, 7-0, 18-16
Gettysburg, 5-1, 14-11
Haverford, 6-2, 15-9
Muhlenberg, 4-4, 12-16
McDaniel, 3-3, 12-13
Ursinus, 2-5, 8-15
Swarthmore, 1-3, 5-14
Bryn Mawr, 1-4, 6-21
Dickinson, 0-7, 5-22
Washington College, 0-7, 3-22