The Basics – Match 1 
• Score: #2 Johns Hopkins – 3 • Virginia Wesleyan – 2 (25-12, 13-25, 17-25, 25-16, 23-21)
• Records: #2 Johns Hopkins (5-0) • Virginia Wesleyan (6-3)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Goldfarb Gymnasium

How it Happened – Virginia Wesleyan

SET ONE
• Shortly after being presented their national championship rings from 2019 in a special pre-match ceremony, the Blue Jays eased to a decisive 25-12 win over the Marlins in set one.
• The Blue Jays hits .282 in the set as they collected 14 kills and had just three errors in the 13-point set-one win.
•  Defensively, Hopkins held the Marlins to a hitting percentage of .000. What looked to be another Blue Jay runaway, would quickly be flipped on its head.

SETS TWO AND THREE
• Almost two years to the day since the Blue Jays were last forced to a fifth set in an early 2019 season matchup against Randolph-Macon, the Marlins came out in the next two sets and didn't just hang with the Jays, they thoroughly picked them apart.
• Virginia Wesleyan dominated the second set to the tune of 25-13 with a strong hitting effort.  Wesleyan went on multiple deep scoring runs, including a 5-0 run to open up a 7-2 lead early. Unable to develop a run of their own, Hopkins quickly found itself in a spot that they haven't in years, trailing a game by double digits. After hitting a collective .000 in set one (7 kills against 7 errors), the Marlins collected 16 kills against just three errors (.394) to even things up.
• Set three was a bit more competitive, but still resulted in a 25-17 victory for Wesleyan and put the Blue Jays' backs against the wall for the first time in more than two years. Again it was Wesleyan jumping out to an early five point advantage and not looking back.

SET FOUR
• With its back against the wall, Hopkins responded in set four with a return to its usual form. After hitting below .100 as a team for sets two and three, the Jays bounced back with .270 hitting percentage in the fourth to push the match to the brink.
• With its back against the wall, Hopkins responded in set four with a return to its usual form. After hitting below .100 as a team for sets two and three, the Jays bounced back with .270 hitting percentage in the fourth to push the match to the brink. When the team needed its leaders the most, they sure delivered. Simone Bliss and Lauren Anthony scored five kills each in the fourth set, while Natalie Aston picked up a pair of critical kills from the setter spot to go along with 13 assists in the frame.

SET FIVE
• After none of the first four sets were decided by less than eight points, the fifth and deciding set resulted in an epic 23-21 Blue Jay victory. Whether you're a huge volleyball fan, or had never seen a match before in your life, you could not take your eyes off this instant classic.
• Sydney Collins and Alexis Davies-Hackenberg joined for a Marlin block to give Wesleyan a 10-7 advantage in the first to 15 decider. To that point in the fifth, Hopkins had yet to lead once, and it appeared that all of the momentum was on the side of VWU. But, this was ring day. This was a chance to give the Goldfarb crowd what they had been waiting nearly two years to see. Aston brought the crowd to their feet with a solo block and then followed with another kill to cut the lead to 10-9. Then it was Bliss' turn, as she scored on back-to-back kills to give Hopkins its first lead at 11-10. Before you knew it, the Jays had run off seven consecutive points and were in control of three chances at match point.
• We weren't done. Oh, we certainly were not done. Virginia Wesleyan won the next four points to even the game back at 14-14 as we went into extras. Hopkins would have four more chances at match point, and each time the Marlins responded on the serve receive until they finally had match point of their own at 19-18. Elayna Williams pounded one home from the left side to fight off the only match point the Jays would face. Back and forth we went until finally, the Jays finished off the match at 23-21 to keep their winning streak alive.

The Basics – Match 2
• Score: #2 Johns Hopkins – 3 • #25 Muskingum – 0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-17)
• Records: #2 Johns Hopkins (5-0) • #25 Muskingum (5-3)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Goldfarb Gymnasium

SET ONE
• Muskingum came into the final match of the "Gio" Memorial Tournament after taking care of Birmingham Southern in straight sets during the preceding match, and out of the gates, looked as though they were going to give the Jays all they could handle after their marathon match earlier.
• Emma Conrad helped the Muskies break open a 9-4 lead with five straight points from the service line. A Lauren Anthony ace got Hopkins back to within 11-9, but Muskingum responded and pushed the lead back to 15-10. Sydney Portale and Eleni Panagopoulos teamed up for a block to give service back to Hopkins, and just like that, any demons that the Jays may have been facing on this Saturday afternoon all went out the window.
•  Bliss opened her service turn with an ace, followed with a kill, and Hopkins preceded to take the next five points to open up its first lead since the score was 2-0. Elayna Williams followed with a pair of kills and the Jays took set one 25-20 following a pair of attacking errors from the Muskies.

SET TWO
• The Jays settled in for set number two, jumping out to an early lead that they would never relinquish.
• Portale came alive in the second, looking like the All-American that she is, scoring six kills on eight swings to pace the Jays. Hopkins swung at a .419 clip in the second, its highest hitting percentage in a set all day, while limiting the Muskies to just an .097 percentage.

SET THREE
• Returning to its normal dominant fashion, Hopkins ran away with the third set. As she has done so often in her career, Natalie Aston opened the set from the service line, consistently getting the Muskies out of system to help Hopkins open up a 5-0 lead.
• Muskingum would ultimately cut the lead all the way to 12-11, but would get no closer than that.

WHAT IT MEANS
• With the five set win over Virginia Wesleyan, Hopkins has now won six of its last seven five set matches.
• Hopkins extends its winning streak to 41, moving into with Grove City for the fifth-longest winning streak in Division III history.

Up Next
•  The home stand continues for the Jays as they'll return to Goldfarb for a midweek clash with Marymount Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Be sure to follow the Blue Jays all season long on Twitter (@JHUVB) and on Instagram (@johnshopkinsvolleyball).