PITTSBURGH, Pa. – No. 4 University of Northwestern continued their playoff run with a battle against Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals on Wednesday at the UPMC Cooper Field House. The Eagles fell behind 0-2, but rallied to win three straight sets to pull off a reverse sweep on the Blue Jays to advance to the Final Four.
 
The Blue Jays started off with a hot start out the gate, winning the first set 25-16. The Eagles were struggling with serves and serve receptions, making more errors than they normally do. It was a similar story in the second set, but the energy was staring to shift; the Blue Jays only winning 25-20.
 
After the second set, the Eagles showed their true resilience and started to turn the dial. The errors were decreasing, and the blocks started to add up. Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) ended the match with 9 blocks on the night to lead UNW. Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford) followed with six in the match. Kiera Brown (Columbia Falls, Mont./Columbia Falls) and Kendra Hardy (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) each had five total.
 
Once the Eagles had the momentum, there was no stopping them. They finished the third set 25-14, with a .400 hitting percentage and forced the Blue Jays to have 10 attack errors. The fourth set ended with 14 kills. Their tenacity was at an all-time high, knowing that they still had the ability to take home a win.
 
The cheering fan section of those who could make the trip to Pittsburgh was bringing the hype, knowing that their Eagles were starting to show their true skill.
 
The fifth set was a nail biter, the score within a few points for nearly the entire set. Spurred on by their 9 kills, 3 blocks and .318 hitting percentage, the Eagles took the fifth set 15-13, completing an epic reverse sweep that the team won't forget any time soon.
 
Schmidt led the Eagles with 15 kills, hitting .364 in the match. Hardy followed with 13 kills on .407 hitting. Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) and Felicia Luther (Victoria, Minn./Southwest Christian) each had 23 assists. Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) led UNW with 33 digs.
 
Up next, No. 4 Northwestern will take on No. 2 Juniata on Thursday at 7:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time in a NCAA Championship Semifinal. The winner of that match will advance to the NCAA Championship Final on Saturday at 7:00 P.M. EST.