gird up their loins for the fray

赤毛のアンも後半になりました。
Especially did the Queen's class gird up their loins for the fray, for at the end of the coming year, dimly shadowing their pathway already, loomed up that fateful thing known as "the Entrance," at the thought of which one and all felt their hearts sink into their very shoes.
"gird up their loins for the fray" の個所のそれぞれの単語は少なくとも一部の意味を
知っている単語ですが全体では意味がよく分かりません。 辞書を見ると　"gird up their loins" は慣用句としての意味がある事が分かりました。
Wiktionary: To prepare oneself for something demanding. Literally referred to the need to strap a belt around one's waist when getting up in order to avoid the cloak falling off.
Dictionary.com: gird or gird up one's loins, to prepare oneself for something requiring readiness, strength, or endurance: He girded his loins to face his competitor.
では "for the fray" の "fray" の意味は何でしょうか？
Dictionary.comの名詞としての意味欄には次ぎの項目があります。
1. a fight, battle, or skirmish.
2. a competition or contest, esp. in sports.
3. a noisy quarrel or brawl.
引用文での "fray" は学業での競争の意味でしょう。　それにしてもアンを含め 赤毛のアンに出てくる学生は勉強意欲に燃えていて感心します。