Box Score SELINSGROVE, PA – The Ithaca volleyball team outscored Johns Hopkins 6-2 to close the fifth set as the Bombers knocked off the Blue Jays, 3-2, on the first day of the Susquehanna Tournament Friday night in Houts Gym.  The loss drops the Blue Jays' record to 3-4, while the Bombers improve to 4-4.
 
Ithaca led the fifth and deciding set 9-8 before closing strong with the 6-2 spurt.  A Blue Jay attack error and back-to-back kills from Aleka Darko gave the Bombers a 12-8 lead before a Simone Adam kill for Hopkins made it 12-9.  Darko then sandwiched kills around an Ithaca attack error to make it 14-10 and the Bombers secured the win on a block by Darko and Maddie Cox.
 
Ithaca won the first and third sets (25-23, 25-18) with the Blue Jays fighting back to grab sets two and four (25-20, 25-21) to force the fifth set that the Bombers claimed with the late surge.
 
The Bombers were up by five early in the first set, only to have the Blue Jays chase them down and grab a 23-20 lead.  A Blue Jay service error opened the door for Ithaca and the Bombers the reeled off four straight points to grab the opening set.
 
The Blue Jays led by as many as seven and never trailed in their set two win, while the Bombers grabbed a 3-2 lead and never let the Jays get even again in grabbing the third set.
 
Hopkins forced the fifth and deciding set by grabbing the 25-21 set-four win.  Johns Hopkins hit .500 in the set and pulled out to a 19-13 lead, only to have Ithaca pull within 22-20.  Late kills from Adam, Lida King and Alice Yu gave the Blue Jays the set and forced the fifth set that Ithaca would win late.
 
Adam paced the Blue Jays with 25 kills, while Simrin Carlsen added 12 kills and 11 digs and Pater chipped in with 11 kills on the night.  King and Helena Swaak both tallied 25 assists for the Blue Jays.
 
Ithaca got 14 kills from Darko and 13 from Alexandra Montgomery while Cox had 49 assists and Julia Costa posted a match-high 23 digs.
 
What's Next
Johns Hopkins will play Christopher Newport on Saturday, September 17 at 1 pm at Susquehanna.