Newport News, Vir. - For the first time in program history, the John Jay women's volleyball team has competed in the NCAA Tournament.
The CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) champion Bloodhounds hit the floor at the Freeman Center on the campus of Christopher Newport University Thursday afternoon for the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. As one of eight teams in the regional site, the Bloodhounds drew the 12th-ranked Washington & Lee Generals in a first-time match-up.
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion Generals kept their season alive with a three-set win on Thursday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
John Jay dropped the first five points of the opening set but powered back, taking advantage of General errors. Madison Reyes recorded the first Bloodhound kill in the NCAA Tournament to give the visitors their first point of the match.
Josanne Lewis followed Reyes to help cut the deficit, with Paige Sadowitz contributing the team's first block in the middle. The Bloodhounds trailed by just two points after a 3-0 run.
Julia Stuart entered the match and immediately helped cut that deficit to just one, 8-9, with her first kill.
Despite repeated scoring runs by Washington & Lee, the Bloodhounds kept pace. Malia Reyes scored the team's first ace of the match and Reilly Catan contributed her lone kill of the set to fuel a 3-0 streak that pulled John Jay to a 13-15 deficit.
The Generals closed the first set on a 10-3 run to secure the 25-16 win.
The Bloodhounds kicked off the second set with their first lead of the match. Down 0-1, John Jay scored the next four points, including Kristin Gretener's first ace of the night and a kill by Paige Sadowitz.
A pair of Reyeses bookended the team's biggest scoring run of the match, as Madison scored the opening kill and Malia scored the closing ace. The Bloodhounds totaled seven straight points and pulled within two points of the Generals, 13-15.
The Bloodhound attack errors added up down the stretch, with Washington & Lee taking the second set, 25-16.
Stuart started the final set of the match, with Nina Bongiovanni and Ellmedina Hodzic also seeing time in the final frame.
The Generals' attack came alive in the third set, totaling 17 kills, a match-high mark for the ranked side. Stuart led the Bloodhounds in the final set with three kills, supported by two each from Lewis and Sadowitz.
Lewis finished her final match as a Bloodhound with a team-high eight kills, adding nine digs.
Stuart closed out the final set with six kills and two total blocks.
Meghan Smith wrapped the season with a double-double, 13 assists and 18 digs.
Malia Reyes matched a match-high mark with a pair of service aces.
The Bloodhounds finish their most successful season in program history as CUNYAC champions with a 22-7 record and the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance.
