BALTIMORE, Md. (November 16, 2019) – For the first time since 2016, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regional Final with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Susquehanna University Saturday at Goldfarb Gymnasium.

The Ducks got 14 kills each from seniors Sara Hain and Casey King as well as a season-high eight blocks by Shelby Stewart as they will now move on to face off with Johns Hopkins Sunday at 3:00 p.m. with a spot in the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals next week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on the line.

Susquehanna, meanwhile, was led by a 16-kill, 22-dig effort from Rosina Esposito as they close their season at 32-7 overall. The win for Stevens avenges the 3-1 loss against the River Hawks earlier this season on Sept. 18.

Stevens was also fantastic on the defensive side of the ball as five different players had double-digit digs, led by 17 digs each from Jillian Roumbanis, Elizabeth Chu and Kathleen Riegner.

After grabbing the opening set 25-9, the River Hawks were able to tie the match at one with a 25-21 in set number two. The Ducks went on to take a 2-1 lead with a 25-14 set win in the third set before Susquehanna forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-18 win in the fourth.

In the fifth and final set, Stevens scored the final five points of the match to move to 2-0 in five-set matches on the season and extend their winning streak to 13 straight matches.

This is the fourth time in the last nine seasons and the sixth time in program history the Ducks have advanced to the Regional Final. Additionally, Stevens will be looking to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the third time in program history and the first time since the 2007 season.

Match Point

• Leading 14-11 in the fifth set, King was able to find the court from the service line for her 34th service ace of the season. It was the seventh service ace of the match for the Ducks.

Volleys and Points

• Leading 8-5 in the opening set, Stevens went on to win 12 of the next 13 points to open up a 20-6 lead.
• The Ducks then scored back-to-back points to close the set and win the set 25-9.
• The nine points allowed in the set were the least points given up by Stevens in an NCAA Tournament match since the Ducks held Framingham State to just six points in the third set of the opening NCAA Tournament contest of the 2014 NCAA Regional.
• Trailing 4-1 in the second set, the River Hawks were able to respond with five straight points to take a two-point lead.
• Susquehanna was then able to go on a 7-2 run with the score tied at seven to create a 14-9 cushion in the second set.
• The Ducks were able to cut the deficit to two eight separate times in the set but could not come any closer as the River Hawks kept Stevens at arms-length and put down the final two points to tie the contest at 1-1.
• In the third set, King and Stewart were able to combine for four of the Ducks' first eight points of the set as Stevens started the set on an 8-2 run.
• Holding a five-point lead, the Ducks went on another 7-2 run to extend the lead to 10 at 21-11.
• A kill from King and a service ace by Riegner gave Stevens a 25-14 set victory in the third.
• Susquehanna punched right back in the fourth set, opening the stanza by scoring nine of the first 12 points.
• After the Ducks climbed back into the set at 12-9, the River Hawks re-extended the lead to seven with a 5-1 run.
• Trailing 20-12, Stevens rattled off five straight points to get back within three.
• The River Hawks did not blink, however, grabbing five of the final six points of the set to send the contest to a fifth set.
• The two teams traded points back-and-forth in the decisive fifth set, with neither team leading by more than two points through the first 21 total points of the stanza.
• Trailing 11-10, the Ducks scored five consecutive points thanks to a service error, a double block from freshman Allie Morton and Stewart, a kill from Stewart and a kill and a service ace from King in the final flurry.

Inside the Numbers

• Stevens hit .253 in the match, including a whopping .560 in the opening set, while holding Susquehanna to .162 in the contest.
• The two teams were fairly even in most offensive categories, with the Ducks registering an 11-8 edge in blocks, a 55-47 advantage in assists and being dead even in service aces at seven apiece.
• Both Riegner and King produced double-doubles in the win as Riegner racked up 44 assists and 17 digs while King delivered 14 kills and 10 digs. The double-double was the 10th of the season for Riegner and the 13th of the year for King.
• Morton, meanwhile, finishes just shy of a providing a double-double of her own with 12 digs and nine kills in the win.
• Hain hit .321 in the contest and is now hitting .395 in postseason matches this season.
• The eight blocks from Stewart was just two shy of a career-high and gives her 485 total blocks in her career. She owns the program record and leads all active players in NCAA Division III in career blocks.
• With 44 more assists in the win, Riegner now ranks sixth in program history in assists in a single season with 1,070 assists this year.

Unsung Hero

• Sophomore Corinne Dougherty produced eight kills, three digs and one block for the Ducks. The eight kills were just one shy of tying a new season high.

Up Next

• The Ducks will look to avenge another loss from earlier in the year as they face off against Johns Hopkins in the Regional Final Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
• The Blue Jays defeated Stevens 3-1 on August 31 at Canavan Arena in the Stevens Invitational. The Ducks are one of just six teams to win a set against JHU this season.
• JHU (30-0) comes into the contest as the lone remaining undefeated team in NCAA DIII.

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