Championship Central
Top-seeded Johns Hopkins and second-seeded Franklin & Marshall both overcame 1-0 deficits en route to 3-1 home wins in the Centennial Conference volleyball semifinals on Friday night. The Blue Jays will host the Diplomats for the CC title on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Goldfarb Gymnasium. It will mark the ninth straight championship appearance for the eight-time defending champion Blue Jays, while the Diplomats are back in the title round for the first time since 2022 and 10th time overall.
Sunday's championship will pit JHU against F&M for the fifth time, with the Blue Jays holding a 4-1 advantage in title game matchups. The two sides most recently met for the CC title in 2022.
In Baltimore, Md., top-seeded and ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins punched its ticket to the Centennial Conference Tournament Championship on Friday evening, defeating Gettysburg in four sets, 3-1 (28-30, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16) inside Goldfarb Gymnasium. With the win, the Blue Jays advance to the conference title match for the ninth straight season.
Defensively, Nicole Tuszynski anchored the back row with a team-high 21 digs, while Michela De Marzi and Simone Adam formed a formidable front-row wall, each tallying six blocks. Adam paced the offense with 19 kills, and De Marzi added 12 more while hitting .750—the second-highest hitting percentage in Hopkins' Centennial Conference Tournament history. Erin Gonzalez paced the Bullets with 13 kills in the defeat, while Nala Shearer tallied 27 digs.
In Lancaster, Pa., second-seeded Franklin & Marshall rallied for a 3-1 (17-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22) triumph over third-seeded Haverford at the Mayser Center.
The Diplomats received double-digit kills from four different players, led by a match-high 20 from Melissa Benkowitz. Coco Shultz (13 kills, 17 digs) added a double-double while Ceci Connolly and Avery Grantham both tallied 12 kills. Liah Perez (28 assists, 12 digs) and Carly Campbell (23 assists, 12 digs) also posted double-doubles in the win. Elizabeth Cella paced the Fords attack in the defeat with 13 kills while Kira Chaney contributed 17 digs.
FIRST ROUND: Wednesday, Nov. 12 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#3 Haverford d. #6 Dickinson, 3-2 (25-16, 18-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-10) | Box Score
#5 Gettysburg d. #4 Swarthmore, 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-20) | Box Score
SEMIFINALS: Friday, Nov. 14 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#2 Franklin & Marshall d. #3 Haverford, 3-1 (17-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22) | Box Score
#1 Johns Hopkins d. #5 Gettysburg, 3-1 (28-30, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16) | Box Score
CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, November 16 | Baltimore, Md.
#2 Franklin & Marshall at #1 Johns Hopkins, 1 p.m.
