NCAA Bracket
Johns Hopkins and Franklin & Marshall both posted convincing victories in the first round of the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament on Thursday evening. Hopkins swept past Stevenson 3-0 while F&M downed Williams 3-1. Both teams advance to Friday's regional semifinals with the wins. This marks the second straight season and fifth time in Centennial Conference history that multiple conference teams will compete in the second round of NCAAs.
In Baltimore, Md., sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins opened the 2025 NCAA Tournament in commanding fashion on Thursday evening, sweeping Stevenson, 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-14), inside a lively Goldfarb Gymnasium. With the victory, the Blue Jays keep their postseason run alive and advance to Friday's Regional Semifinal, where they will face William Smith with a spot in the Regional Championship on the line.
Defensively, Nicole Tuszynski anchored the back row with a match-high 16 digs. Michela De Marzi headlined a dominant blocking effort with six total blocks, while Helena Swaak (3) and Alice Yu (2) combined for five more. Offensively, Simone Adam led all players with 13 kills on an efficient .429 hitting percentage, pacing a Hopkins attack that never allowed Stevenson to settle into rhythm.
The Blue Jays return to the court Friday, November 21, for the Regional Semifinal against William Smith. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Goldfarb Gymnasium.
In Cambridge, Mass., F&M (23-6) earned an NCAA Tournament victory for the first time in a quarter century, defeating Williams (19-8) in four sets (25-19, 25-20, 11-25, 25-20) on Thursday evening. The win marks F&M's first NCAA tournament win since 2000 when a Diplomats side that featured head coach Mary Kate Salko as a player defeated Western Connecticutf State to advance to the Sweet 16.
Ceci Connolly recorded a team-high 13 kills while hitting an efficient .458 plus three block assists. Coco Shultz posted a team-high 11 digs with 11 kills, while Melissa Benkowitz recorded a team-best three aces, ten kills, and eight digs. Liah Perez provided 25 assists with two aces, while Carly Campbell assisted 14 times with three aces and seven digs. Mya Anderson led the front row with four block assists.
The Diplomats will face regional hosts, ninth-ranked MIT, in the second round on Friday at 7 p.m.
