Release courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletic Communications
The Basics
• Score: #6 Johns Hopkins – 3 • Stevens – 0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-18)
• Records: #6 Johns Hopkins (32-0) • Stevens – (22-12)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Goldfarb Gym
• The Short Story: The sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins volleyball team punched its ticket to the first Elite Eight in school history with a straight-set victory over Stevens in the NCAA Regional Championship matchon Sunday afternoon in Goldfarb Gymnasium. The Elite Eight, national semifinals and national championship match will take place next weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
How it Happened
SET ONE
• In a set that featured 14 ties and six lead changes, it was the Blue Jays closing with a 5-1 run to grab the set, 25-20.
• Neither team led by more than two until Johns Hopkins broke a 16-all tie with a three-point run that started with back-to-back kills from junior Simone Bliss and ended with an attacking error by the Ducks that gave the Blue Jays a 19-16 lead.
• Stevens got within one at 19-18, 20-19 and 21-20, but a Duck service error and consecutive kills by sophomore Eleni Panagopoulos gave the Blue Jays set point and an attacking error by the Stevens finished it off.
SET TWO
• After an early 2-0 lead for the Blue Jays, Stevens took control with a 6-1 run that quickly turned the early two-point deficit into a 6-3 lead with a Casey King kill capping the spree for the Ducks.
• The lead swelled to four on two different occasions for the Ducks with the final of those coming at 17-13 after a Shelby Stewart kill.
• The Blue Jays answered quickly with a four-point run of their own that included kills by Panagopoulos, Bliss and senior Louisa Kishton to knot the set at 17-all.
• The 17-17 tie would be the first of seven ties down the stretch and Stevens fought off match-point four times before a Panagopoulos kill and a block by Lauren Anthony sealed the second-set win for the Blue Jays.
SET THREE
• Stevens jumped to a 3-1 lead in the third set and never trailed early as the Ducks sprinted out to a 10-8 lead after the Blue Jays had back-to-back attacking errors.
• Johns Hopkins answered with a 5-0 run that gave them the lead for good at 13-10. Back-to-back kills by Bliss ignited the run, which also included two attacking errors and a bad set by the Ducks.
• Stevens used a 3-1 spurt to pull within 14-13, but Johns Hopkins answered with a four-point run that included another Panagopoulos kill to go up 18-13.
• The Ducks would get no closer than four the rest of the way with the last of those four-point deficits coming at 22-18 before the Blue Jays sealed the win with kills by Anthony and Bliss and a service ace by Anthony.
Inside the Box Score
• Bliss punched up a match-high 17 kills and added 17 digs, while Panagopoulos added 12 kills to lead the Blue Jays at the net.
• Junior Natalie Aston totaled 32 assists, added nine digs and had a hand in three blocks.
• Stevens got eight kills apiece from Stewart and King, while Sara Hain and Allie Morton both had six. Elizabeth Chu had a team-high 15 digs.
The Honors
Regional Most Outstanding Player: Simone Bliss (Johns Hopkins)
All-Tournament Team - Emily Sullivan (Stockton), Sydney Portale (Susquehanna), Sara Hain (Stevens), Shelby Stewart (Stevens), Natalie Aston (Johns Hopkins), Eleni Panagopoulos (Johns Hopkins)
What it Means
• Johns Hopkins claims the first regional crown in program history. This was the Blue Jays' second trip to the regional title match (2017).
• The Blue Jays extended their school-record and national-best winning streak to 32 matches.
• Johns Hopkins has won its last 35 sets dating back to October 17, when they won the last two sets in a 3-1 win at Stevenson.
Up Next
• Advances to the Elite Eight in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with the four NCAA Quarterfinal matches scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 21.
• The final eight teams include Johns Hopkins (ranked 6th in the most recent AVCA Poll), Emory (1st), Clarkson (RV), Bowdoin (RV), Saint Benedict (15th), Calvin (3rd), Carthage (4th) and Trinity (7th) (TX).
• The bracket for the final eight teams will be announced later tonight or on Monday. The final eight teams will be seeded by the NCAA Division III Volleyball Committee and placed in the bracket accordingly.