Few high school volleyball teams were as happy to see the calendar flip from September to October as Hopkinton. The Hillers played nearly three-fourths of their schedule in the opening month, playing nearly a match every other day. But the Hillers did not let the jam-packed slate slow them down, winning 10 of 14 to start the year.

“We are around where we had hoped we would be at the start of the year,” said coach Emma Sweetapple. “It’s nice to only have six matches in October so we can work on a lot of stuff before we head into the postseason.”

The fact that Hopkinton has a veteran squad better enabled the team to successfully navigate its gauntlet of a schedule.

“We are lucky to have 10 returning players, and the majority of them have been together for the last two or three years,” Sweetapple said. “It’s nice when you don’t necessarily have to work on the team dynamic because they understand it and know how to play with each other.”

Junior setter Gabby Pattie has been a leader for the offense and eclipsed the 1,000 career assist mark this season.

“She has been an essential member of the team,” Sweetapple said. “She runs the court and the plays.”

Hopkinton’s top three hitters all have been standouts. Senior outsider hitter Adriana Aquino is leading the division and the Tri-Valley League in kills. Sisters Elsa Woodbury, a senior, and Evie Woodbury, a sophomore, are two more strong members of the Hopkinton attack. Senior Olivia Carrazza is the key cog on defense as the libero. Sweetapple said improving that part of the game will be important for the team going into the tournament.

“We want to solidify out defense, which has already been solid,” she said. “We have some big matches before the playoffs, and we will be facing some good teams in the postseason, and we want to use these remaining regular-season games to help prepare our defense and blocking.”

Sweetapple said that Hopkinton also should be in a good position to handle the rigors of the tournament after rebuilding over the past couple of years.

“We have been patient as we have been working to get the team back to where it was before I took over,” she said. “We have been building up our skill and our mental game.”

The coach said her team is well prepared and equipped to have a good run in the postseason, in part because of its quirky schedule.

“We would rather have that adversity early on instead of later in the season,” Sweetapple said.