By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University volleyball team is bound for Maryland for its first appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament match since 2008.
The Bears (13-9) will open in Baltimore on Thursday against host Johns Hopkins University (29-2), ranked third in the nation and the 2019 NCAA champion. The Bears and Blue Jays will play at 7 p.m. at the Goldfarb Gymnasium with the other three first-round games in the bracket taking place at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4:30 p.m.
BSU ended its tournament drought by rallying to defeat Westfield State University, 3-2, on Saturday for the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference championship.
The team learned of its first-round opponent while watching the Selection Show at the Tinsley Center Monday afternoon.
The BSU-Johns Hopkins winner will play on Friday against either Cortland (26-5) or Carnegie-Mellon (19-11).
The other two opening-round matches at Johns Hopkins are Smith (30-6) against Endicott (22-7) with Ithaca (22-6) facing Lasell (30-5).
BSU has reached the NCAAs for the 11th time in program history, reaching the tournament 10 years in a row from 1999-2008.
The last NCAA tourney game for the Bears was on Nov. 13, 2008 when they lost to host Tufts University, 3-0, in Medford.
BSU has won only one match in the NCAAs, defeating Plymouth State, 3-1, in the opening round in 2004 before losing to WIlliams, 3-1.
The Bears opened this season 1-6 with six straight losses, then went on an eight-game winning streak, the longest since 2015.
BSU finished second to Westfield State in the MASCAC, then rallied from a 2-0 deficit to sweep the final three sets in the championship game last weekend.
BSU sophomore Lily Welch (Hanson, Mass.) was named the MASCAC Offensive Player of the week for a second time this season.
The outside hitter was the most valuable player of the conference tourney, averaging 12.5 kills with a .351 hitting percentage.
John Hopkins enters the NCAAs on a 19-game winning streak and is 10-0 at home.
The Blue Jays lost to defending national champion and top-ranked Juniata, 3-1, on Aug. 31 and to #4 MIT, 3-1, on Sept. 21.
They won an eighth straight Centennial Conference championship on Sunday, defeating Swarthmore College, 3-1.
This is the eight straight trip to the NCAAs for Johns Hopkins and 11th overall.
In addition to winning the national title five years ago, the Blue Jays made it to Elite Eight the past two seasons as well as the Sweet 16 in 2017 and 2021.
Sophomore outside hitter Ivy Swafford (Johnson City, Texas) was the most valuable player of the conference tourney, averaging 3.17 kills, and 1.33 blocks per set on a .406 hitting percentage.
BSU went to the NCAAs seven times with Ken Duarte as the head coach, twice under Kelly Taylor and once with Bob Roscoe.
Tony daSilveira has been the Bears' coach since 2019 and guided BSU to its first winning season since 2010.
2024 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament Bracket (PDF)
Baltimore (Johns Hopkins) Regional
The Participants
Bridgewater State (13-9), Carnegie Mellon (19-11), Cortland (26-5), Endicott (22-7), Ithaca (22-6), Johns Hopkins (29-2), Lasell (30-5) and Smith (30-6).
The Schedule
Thursday, November 21
11:30 pm – Smith vs. Endicott
2:00 pm – Ithaca vs. Lasell
4:30 pm – Cortland vs. Carnegie Mellon
7:00 pm – Johns Hopkins vs. Bridgewater State
Friday, November 22
4:30 pm – Smith/Endicott winner vs. Ithaca/Lasell winner
7:00 pm – Cortland/Carnegie Mellon winner vs. Johns Hopkins/Bridgewater State winner
Saturday, November 23
5:00 pm – Saturday Winners