BALTIMORE, Md. (September 2, 2022)  – Junior Liz Patterson finished with a team-high nine kills, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team fell to No. 9 Johns Hopkins University 3-0 (23-25, 16-25, 15-25) Friday in a non-conference tilt at the Newton H White Center. The contest marked both teams' season opener.

Sophomore Sophia Schaefer had five kills and graduate student Kathleen Riegner and senior Enkhsanaa Enkhbayar each dished out nine assists for the Ducks, who dropped their season opener in falling to 0-1. The match was contested as part of the annual Greg Giovanazzi Memorial Tournament, which is held in honor of the former Johns Hopkins head women's volleyball coach and former U.S. Olympic coach, who passed away in 2012. 

Simone Adam led all players with 16 kills and Simrin Carlsen had 10 digs for Johns Hopkins, who won its season opener for the fourth straight season. The Blue Jays have just one loss over their last 68 matches and have won each of the last four meetings between the teams.

Sophomore Cleo Shannon scored the Ducks' first point of the season, setting down an Enkhbayar feed to give the Ducks an early lead. Stevens would open a three-point lead in the early portion of the frame. An energetic Stevens defense kept the Blue Jays' offense in check, holding Hopkins to just a .162 hitting percentage in the opening frame - the lowest mark of the match for the hosts. 

First-year Gabbi Roberts recorded her first collegiate point with a kill to give the Ducks a 13-10 advantage. However, Johns Hopkins responded with a six-point run to turn a 14-13 Stevens lead into a 19-14 deficit for the Ducks. The resilient Ducks rebounded with four of the next five points and then a pair of attack errors surrounded a Patterson kill to knot the frame at 23. Unfortunately Chidinma Onukwugha converted a quick set to return the serve back to Hopkins and an attack error gave Hopkins a 25-23 decision in the opening set.

Patterson converted an Enkhbayar set to give Stevens the set-opening point for the second straight stanza. Back and forth play dominated the first half of the second set as neither side was able to create separation until Hopkins reeled off four straight points to open a 10-6 lead and force a Stevens timeout. A Schaefer kill pulled the Ducks within three, but a 6-2 run by the home team followed to break the frame open. An ace by Adam closed out the stanza and gave Hopkins a 2-0 lead in the match. The set saw Stevens turn in its best offensive showing of the match, culminating in a .259 (10-3-27) hitting percentage, however, Hopkins committed just two attack errors (15-2-33) to double its advantage. 

Hopkins jumped on the board first in the third set, only to see a Patterson ace and a Shannon kill give the Ducks an early 4-2 lead. Junior Meg Dion would knock down a Riegner set to push the Ducks' margin to 7-4 and force a Hopkins timeout. The break in play proved to turn the tide as the Blue Jays would score the next six points to take a 10-7 lead. Kills by Patterson and Schaefer would trim the deficit to two on two different occasions, but a 6-1 run by the Blue Jays would break the set open and a 5-1 run following a Dion kill closed out the match. 

Inside the Numbers

• Hitting percentage was a key statistic. The hosting Blue Jays finished the match with a .327 attack percentage, while the Ducks finished at .122. 
• Sophomores Bailey Axelrad and Nicole Scribner joined Dion and Patterson in serving up an ace.
• Dion and Roberts each recorded a solo block. Roberts, who also notched a pair of kills, was making her collegiate debut.
• Eight different players had at least one point, including senior Ava Smithing, who notched a pair of kills.

Unsung Hero

• Axelrad finished with a match- and career-high 14 digs. As a team, Stevens finished with 40.

From the Sidelines - Head Coach Brianna Jones

• "We played well and it was a great match for us to build off of. We lost stamina as the match progressed and that will be a focus for us moving forward."

Up Next

• Women's volleyball takes on St. John Fisher and Marymount on the second, and final, day of competition.
• Formerly annual opponents in the Empire 8 Conference, Stevens has the last 14 meetings with St. John Fisher. The Ducks also topped the Saints last season in what was believed to be the first meeting between the programs.
• Links for live stats and video for both matches are available on StevensDucks.com.

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