CAMBRIDGE, MA (November 13, 2021) -- The Susquehanna University women's volleyball team downed #25 Bowdoin College in four sets to advance to the Cambridge Regional final as part of the 2021 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament held in Rockwell Cage on the campus of MIT.
 
Susquehanna (24-6) dropped the opening set 25-14, but then proceeded to take the next three by scores of 25-16, 25-19 and 25-21 to advance to the final where it will meet host MIT. The Engineers defeated Haverford 3-0 in the other regional semifinal on Saturday.
 
Susquehanna is in its third NCAA Tournament appearance and will make its first NCAA regional final appearance. The River Hawks won their third NCAA Tournament match in program history with Saturday's victory.
 
Bowdoin concluded its 2021 season with a 23-5 record. The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) champion Polar Bears were making their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Susquehanna hit .229 as a team and was led by junior outside hitter Rosina Esposito had 17 kills. Senior middle hitter Kody Dillon and senior outside hitter Riley O'Dowd each had 11 kills as well to lead the River Hawks' offense.
 
Freshman setter Keira Roach paced the Susquehanna offense with 45 assists (11.25 per set average). Esposito tied for the team lead with 13 digs, while senior libero Lizzie Herestofa also tallied 13.
 
Bowdoin hit .167 as a team, led by 15 kills and a .433 attack percentage by senior middle block Cori Gray (Winter Haven, Fla.). Junior outside hitter Jaida Hodge-Adams had 10 kills as well for the Polar Bears.
 
Junior setter Ella Haugen had 41 assists (10.25 per set average) for the Polar Bears. Freshman Maya White led the Bowdoin defensive effort with a match-high 22 digs.


 
Bowdoin opened the match with a 7-1 run to take a commanding lead it would never look back from. Hodge-Adams notched two kills in the run, including the first point of the match. The Polar Bears hit .519 during the opening set, the highest attack percentage in any set by either team.
 
Susquehanna never trailed in the second set, hitting .222 and taking advantage of a match-low .000 attack percentage for Bowdoin.
 
Susquehanna continued to outhit Bowdoin in the third and fourth sets, with .225 and .277 attack percentages to the Polar Bears' .079 and .163 attack percentages respectively.
 
As a team, Susquehanna led statistically in kills (55-49) and assists (50-46), while Bowdoin led aces (8-4) and digs (84-63).
 
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