Johns Hopkins Women’s V-Ball Cruise Into Conference Championship
BALTIMO
RE, Md. – In a busy weekend around the campus of Johns Hopkins, the women’s volleyball team, the top seed in the 2017 Centennial Conference Women’s Volleyball Championship Semi-Finals, made quick work of in-state rival, the #4 seed McDaniel Green Terror, in front of an attendance of 195 at Goldfarb Gym Saturday afternoon.
Blue Jays Freshman OH Simone Bliss led the team with nine kills and Senior OH Elizabeth Wuerstle had five service aces as Johns Hopkins swept McDaniel, three sets to none (25-12; 25-21; 25-16) to advance to the championship match.
Johns Hopkins came out of the gate smoking hot. On Wuerstle’s kill after the 12th point of the set, the Blue Jays had a commanding 9-3 lead in the first set, causing McDaniel to call time out. The Green Terror would come out of the time out scoring the first two points, to get to within 9-5, but the Blue Jays 16-7 run to close out the set and on Freshman S/MB Natalie Aston’s kill, won the first set 25-12 in less than 20 minutes.
McDaniel would take the lead early in the second set and at one point had a four-point advantage (12-8). But the Blue Jays used a 7-2 run to take the lead at 15-14 on Junior MB/OH Sasha Gorelik’s kill. The Green Terror would battle back and take the lead back on back to back service aces from Junior OH Allie Lugar, giving McDaniel a 19-18 advantage. Once again though, the Blue Jays proved to be too touch, closing the set on a 7-2 run of their own and taking it 25-21 on Sophomore OH Louisa Kishton’s kill.
One more time in the third set, McDaniel did hold the lead, this time at 10-9, before Johns Hopkins turned on the turbos, going on mini-runs of 6-0 with the score tied, 11-11, causing the Green Terror to call time out trailing 17-11. Coming back from the time out, McDaniel couldn’t keep up with Johns Hopkins and on their second match point, Kishton had another kill, giving the Blue Jays the third set, 25-16 and the match, three sets to none.
Johns Hopkins will play the #2 seed Swarthmore Garnet for the Centennial Conference Championship tomorrow afternoon at Goldfarb Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm. The Garnet took out the #3 seed Muhlenberg Mules three sets to one (25-19; 25-23; 24-26; 29-27).
