This blog represents the personal views of sports blogger Ben Segelbaum.  Segelbaum’s views do not necessarily reflect those of The Royal Page staff as a whole.

After starting off a promising season 3-0, Hopkins Royals volleyball has fallen into a slump, losing against top-ranked Chaska and a top ten Roseville team. After suffering a shutout from a strong Chaska team, the girls had an opportunity to regain their confidence a day later against Roseville. Losing the first two sets by fewer than five points put the Royals on the verge of their second straight loss against quality opponents, but the Royals fought back to win the third and fourth games, the latter in dominating fashion. In the fifth and deciding set, the teams traded points throughout. In a back and forth fight, the Raiders eventually strung together the final points to secure the victory. Last season, the Royals only had back-back losses once, and they won four out of five of their next matches. The Royals look to regain their winning ways Tuesday Sept. 9 with their first conference matchup against a struggling Wayzata team.