GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College stormed past Franklin & Marshall College in the opening round of the Centennial Conference Championship and now the Bullets will take aim at the top-ranked team in the country in Johns Hopkins University this Saturday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. inside Goldfarb Gymnasium.
Match Information
Centennial Final Four
Johns Hopkins University (27-0, 10-0 CC) claimed the top seed and will host the semifinals and championship on Nov. 6-7 in Goldfarb Gym. The top-ranked Blue Jays have won 62-straight matches, four-straight Centennial championships, and are the defending champions in Division III. Gettysburg, the fifth seed, swept No. 4 seed Franklin & Marshall College this past Wednesday. Haverford College (22-4, 9-1 CC) is the No. 2 seed and will meet third-seeded Swarthmore College (13-7, 8-2 CC) in Saturday's other semifinal at 3:30. The two semifinal winners will compete for the conference crown Sunday at 1 p.m.
Gettysburg's Playoff History
Gettysburg is making its 17th appearance in the conference playoffs and first since dropping a 3-0 decision to Johns Hopkins in 2013. The Bullets have won the tournament seven times and lead the way with 11 conference titles overall, the last coming in 2005. Gettysburg's last trip to the semifinals came in 2011 and resulted in a 3-2 win over Franklin & Marshall. The Bullets lost 3-1 to Johns Hopkins in the title match that season.
All-Time Series
Johns Hopkins has won the last 12 meetings with Gettysburg, including a 3-1 decision earlier this season. The Bullets lead the all-time series 29-18. The Blue Jays hold a 3-2 advantage in the conference playoffs.
Previous Meeting
Gettysburg handed top-ranked Johns Hopkins its first loss in a set in almost three weeks by stealing the opening contest 25-23, but the Blue Jays rebounded to win the final three sets 25-15, 25-19, and 25-21. Johns Hopkins finished with the edge in kills (57-46), digs (65-64), and blocks (10-7), while posting an attack percentage of .233. Junior
Zanze Kuba-McCoy (Somerville, N.J./Somerville) finished with 14 kills and 16 digs, while sophomore libero
Chelsea O'Leary (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) put up 18 digs.
Danielle Norman led the Blue Jays with 18 kills and
Natalie Aston compiled 54 assists, three kills, six digs, and five blocks.
Last Time Out
Gettysburg was firing on all cylinders in a dominating sweep of Franklin & Marshall in the opening match of the CC Championship. After rallying from a six-point deficit to win the opening set 25-21, the Bullets dominated the second set 25-10 and led throughout the final contest on the way to a 25-20 win. Gettysburg his .225 in the win, marking the sixth time in seven matches the team eclipsed the .200 mark. Kuba-McCoy racked up 17 kills and an attack percentage of .471 and O'Leary put up 19 digs.
Team Comparison
| GC |
Stat |
JHU |
| 12.3 |
Kills Per Set |
13.3 |
| 16.8 |
Digs Per Set |
14.8 |
| 2.0 |
Blocks Per Set |
1.9 |
| .199 |
Attack Pct. |
.262 |
| 11.5 |
Assists Per Set |
11.8 |
| 1.7 |
Aces Per Set |
2.5 |
Season Leaders
Gettysburg
Johns Hopkins
| Stat |
Player |
Total |
| Kills |
Sydney Portale |
187 |
| Digs |
Sarah Khan |
280 |
| Blocks |
Natalie Aston |
78 |
| Attack Pct. |
Natalie Aston |
.416 |
| Assists |
Natalie Aston |
824 |
| Aces |
Natalie Aston |
53 |
