First Round (at Haverford): Haverford d.
Dickinson, 30-24, 29-31, 30-20, 30-17.
Semifinal (at Gettysburg): Johns Hopkins d. Franklin
& Marshall, 30-21, 30-23, 27-30, 23-30, 15-13
Semifinal (at Gettysburg): Gettysburg d. Haverford,
30-25, 30-25, 26-30, 30-22.
Final (at Gettysburg): Gettysburg d. Johns Hopkins,
30-21, 30-26, 30-21.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Seniors Jessica Cortese (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield) and Nicole Barr (Annapolis, MD/Broadneck) each recorded 15 kills to pace Gettysburg to a sweep of Johns Hopkins in the Centennial Conference (CC) volleyball championship on Sunday.
With the victory, the Bullets (28-5) earn their fourth straight conference title and 10th in the 12-year history of the CC. Gettysburg also earns the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, which begins with regional play on Thursday. The 2004 field will be announced late Sunday night.
Cortese and Barr join fellow seniors Erin Barkdoll (Dover, PA/Dover) and Diana McNamee (King of Prussia, PA/Villa Maria Academy) as the second class in Gettysburg history to win a CC crown in each of their four seasons. The senior class of 1999 also claimed outright titles from 1995-98, the middle four years of six straight championships. The Bullets shared the title with Franklin & Marshall and Western Maryland in 1994 and 1999.
StephVial (Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) led an 82-dig team performance with a career best 29, putting her seven shy of the single-season program record.
Katie O’Callaghan led the Blue Jays (18-10) with a double-double performance (10 kills, 17 digs).
Barkdoll opened the match with the first of 11 kills. After trading points, a kill by freshman Katie Heffner (Easton, PA/Easton) and two straight from Cortese put the Bullets in front to stay at 7-4.
Two kills apiece from Cortese and Barr stretched the lead to as high as 26-17 en route to a 30-21 game-one win.
Gettysburg found itself in an early 2-0 hole to start game two, but the Bullets quickly recovered, rolling off nine of the next 11 points to open up a 9-4 advantage.
Johns Hopkins clawed back to draw even at 17-all, but a Barr kill handed the serve back to her, up one.
Barr served the next three points for a 21-17 lead on the way to a 30-26 victory in game two.
In game three, the Blue Jays once again enjoyed an early 2-0 advantage, but it was the only lead they would hold in the game.
ShannanSmith (Milmont Park, PA/Ridley) quickly served the Bullets back on top, 3-2.
Down 8-7, Johns Hopkins had three straight attack errors that allowed Gettysburg to open up an 11-7 advantage, and the Bullets continued to pull away for a 30-21 victory for the title.
Barr and Cortese rounded out their second straight double-doubles with 16 and 11 digs, respectively. Smith turned in a 42-assist, 10-dig performance, marking the 10th time this season she has recorded double figure digs.
Heffner and Barr added three block assists apiece.
Lizzie Kay, the conference leader in digs, paced the Blue Jays with 24 digs.