The players returned to practice this week without her, but two coaches and two players have tested positive, meaning a trip to Texas to play Abilene Christian on Sunday is off.
The Raiders will be out of quarantine just in time to host Lake Erie College on Wednesday, barring no other setbacks.
“It’s frustrating that we’re still dealing with it this season. … This is new territory for our staff,” Hoffman said.
“But it’s also one of those things you can’t control. With the majority of our team and staff not vaccinated, we can’t get by with just a negative test (to return to action). We have to quarantine.”
The Raiders will have had 16 days with no team activities by the time they suit up again.
“I hope the players are hanging in there — I’m checking in with them — and also trying to stay in shape. We can’t make that mandatory at all. It’s something they have to individually own,” Hoffman said.
The Raiders missed six games because of COVID last season on the way to 19-8 record and Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles.
New rules this year have turned missed league games into forfeits, meaning the rebuilding Raiders are now 0-7 overall and 0-4 in the conference.
“It affects your record, but I think there’s still going to be an asterisk next to this season. We’re still dealing with (the virus),” Hoffman said.
“But the majority of our conference season is ahead of us, and that’s the one that really matters. Hopefully, we can put some pieces together to show some improvement in January and February.”
Hoffman said she had relatively minor symptoms but is still feeling some fatigue. And while she’s eager to return to battle, being in quarantine wasn’t all bad.
Husband Jimmy and their three kids, Finley, Breslyn and Tripp, also were on lockdown while dealing with COVID.
“In a sense, it was frustrating. But at the same time, there was so much good family time, I really enjoyed it,” said Hoffman, who added that except for some lingering coughs, all are doing fine.
“Quarantining by yourself is way different than quarantining with a family. The positives of being with our three kids far out-weighed the negative.”
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