Women's Volleyball | 11/13/2019 11:33:00 AM

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Manhattanville College women's volleyball team faces off with regional host Johns Hopkins University Friday night, Nov. 15, with first-serve scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in the First Round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship. The Blue Jays are ranked No. 6 in the most recent AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Top 25 D-III Poll.
 
SUPREME OF THE SKYLINE
Manhattanville is fresh off a hard-fought five-set victory in the Skyline Conference championship match this past Saturday, Nov. 9, over the United States Merchant Marine Academy in five sets at Kennedy Gymnasium in Purchase, N.Y. The Valiants went undefeated (11-0) in regular-season conference play to earn the Skyline's top overall seed before defeated both No. 5 Farmingdale State College and No. 2 USMMA in the tournament to earn the program's first-ever conference title and bid to NCAAs. The squad's 24 victories are the second-most in program history. News12 Westchester stopped by to preview the Valiants' berth to NCAAs earlier this week:
  VALIANT VAULT
The squad is currently riding a program-record-tying 12-match winning streak. The Crimson and White are led by Skyline Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection senior outside hitter Austen Brauer (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings). This season she has set the program's single-season and single-match (36) records in kills, the former of which currently stands at 397 and growing. She's joined by freshman setter and First Team All-Conference selection Vianca Vital (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perpetuo Socorro), a six-rotation player who is having a dominant first season as a Valliant. Vital also has set the program's single-season and single-match (60) marks in her respective statistical category – assists – the first of which sits at 923 and rising. She also is second on the team with 380 digs.
 
BLUE JAY BULLETIN
Johns Hopkins rides its strengths up front in a pair of California outside hitter with junior Simone Bliss and senior Louisa Kishton. Bliss leads the team with 340 kills, while Kishton is right on her tail at 319. Additionally, the Blue Jays possess a pair sophomore middles in 6-footer Lauren Anthony and 6-foot-2 Eleni Panagopoulos, and they have combined 440 kills and 110 total blocks. Lastly, junior setter Natalie Aston is second on the team with 68 total blocks and leads the squad with 929 assists.
 
WHO | WHAT | WHERE | WHEN | HOW
The Valiants and Blue Jays will clash for just the third time ever – first since 2016 – at Goldfarb Gym on Johns Hopkins' campus. Single-day tickets will be on sale for $6 (adults), $4 (students with ID, and seniors), $3 (children 12 and under) and free for children two years old or under. Fans will also be able to buy weekend passes for $12, $10, $7 and free of charge (respectively) to attend all seven matches over the three-day regional. If you cannot attend in person, you can tune into the broadcast of the game at www.hopkinssports.com/watch.