The Basics 
• Score: Johns Hopkins – 3 • Randolph-Macon - 2
• Records: Johns Hopkins (4-0) • Randolph-Macon (6-3)
• Location: Ashland, Va. • Crenshaw Gymnasium
• The Short Story: Hopkins returned to the hardwood for the first time in ten days, holding on for a five-set win on the road over the ODAC's Randolph-Macon

How it Happened

SET ONE
• Randolph-Macon scored the opening three points of the match before a service error gave Hopkins its first point.
• The Yellow Jackets maintained their early advantage, leading by as many as five before junior Simone Bliss capped a 5-0 Hopkins scoring run to even the match at 13-13.
• A Hannah Korslund kill from the middle gave the Blue Jays their first lead of the opening set at 18-17, however Randolph-Macon would rebound to win three of next four points to retake a 20-19 lead.
• The two sides would exchange points for the remainder of the set when a Bliss swing narrowly missed the left sideline to give the Yellow Jackets a 25-23 first-set-win.
 
SET TWO
• Korslund notched the first service ace of the night for Hopkins to give the Jays an early 5-4 advantage.
• Senior Louisa Kishton followed shortly after with a cross-court kill to extend the Hopkins lead to 8-5, part of a 6-1 Blue Jays' scoring run that ballooned the lead to 10-5.
• Hopkins would push the lead to 16-8, thanks in large part to three consecutive kills from Bliss, who led the team with six kills in the frame.
• The Yellow Jackets looked to be gaining some momentum, stringing together four consecutive points until junior setter Natalie Aston answered with a huge solo block to maintain the Jays' 21-14 lead.
• A Randolph-Macon service error gave Hopkins a 24-16 win to even the match at one set apiece.
 
SET THREE
• Head coach Matt Troy's club took command of a back-and-forth start to the third frame with a 5-1 scoring run to open a 13-9 Jays advantage and force a Macon timeout.
• Kishton's big swing down the left side extended the Jays' lead to 17-11.
• Hopkins would lead by as many as seven before the Yellow Jackets clawed back to cut the lead to 23-19.
• Set point for the Jays came at 24-20, with Kishton closing out the frame with a floater that just cleared a pair of Yellow Jacket blockers.
 
SET FOUR
• Macon refused to go away without a fight, taking an early 10-8 lead to open a must-win fourth set.
• As they did all night, however, the Blue Jays responded, reeling off four straight to force a Yellow Jacket timeout.
• With Hopkins trailing 22-21, Korslund and Eleni Panagopoulos teamed up for a huge block to even the set back at 22-22.
• Macon would again rebound to force a fifth set, 25-23.

SET FIVE
• The sides flip-flopped the first five points of the decisive set. Bliss tallied a kill to make it 3-2 Jays and followed with a block to extend the lead to 4-2.
• Morgan Wu made it 6-3 following her second ace of the night, and Bliss added another kill to make it 8-3 as the teams switched sides after 11 points.
• Kishton maneuvered her signature floater to extend the lead to 13-5 until four straight
• The fifth-set heroics continued for Kishton as she tallied three straight kills to close out the match, 15-11. The senior captain was credited for each of the final five kills for Hopkins.

What it Means
• Hopkins is now 5-3 in five-set matches dating back to 2016.
• It was just the third time these two programs have met; the Blue Jays have now won two of three, with the other win coming nearly nine years ago on Sept. 11, 2010 during Matt Troy's first stint as head coach.
• The Blue Jays start the year 4-0 for the second straight season and third time since 2012.
 
 Inside the Box Score
• Filling in at the libero spot, Wu totaled a career-high 24 digs, ten more than her prior high of 14 in last season's 3-1 win over Washington & Lee.
• Natalie Aston penciled a new career-high in assists with 55 while adding 13 digs.
• The career marks continued for Korslund whose 7 kills were a personal best. The senior also led the team with a staggering .429 hitting percentage.

Up Next
• Troy's club will gear up for a three-match weekend back at his previous stomping grounds. The Jays will take on Virginia Wesleyan Friday night at 6:30 p.m., before clashing with Washington & Lee and Mary Washington on Saturday.

Be sure to follow the Blue Jays all season long on Twitter (@JHUVB) and on Instagram (@johnshopkinsvolleyball).