Dave Pietramala

Johns Hopkins' 11-10 overtime win against Virginia vaulted the Blue Jays to the top of many polls and rankings. But being No. 1 is not something that is weighs on the players or coaches, according to coach Dave Pietramala. “It doesn't matter,” he said Wednesday. “You could pick a lot of teams for No. 1. UMass is 8-0, Loyola is 8-0. Part of that is just where you were ranked originally. I would tell you that being No. 1 doesn't mean anything right now.” Johns Hopkins (8-0)

Zach Palmer's availability for No. 13 Johns Hopkins' home contest against Navy at Homewood Field in Baltimore this Saturday is still uncertain. The senior attackman suffered an unspecified injury during practice on April 10 and did not play in the team's 7-4 upset of No. 6 Maryland last Saturday. Asked about Palmer's status, coach Dave Pietramala replied, “Day to day.” Pietramala declined to say whether he was optimistic that Palmer would return for Saturday's game. “I don't know one way or the other,” Pietramala said.

Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala wasn't surprised his team had a tough game Saturday against Siena. This was the third game in eight days for the Blue Jays, and Siena was ready and battled through the first three quarters. But early in the fourth quarter, Zach Palmer and Brandon Benn scored 54 seconds a part to help No. 2 Johns Hopkins pull away for a 9-5 victory at Homewood Field. The Blue Jays beat Towson last Friday and Delaware on Tuesday, and they were a little tired.

Homefield advantage is not what it used to be in the rivalry between the Johns Hopkins and Princeton men's lacrosse teams. The No. 5 Blue Jays dropped an 11-8 decision to the No. 14 Tigers before an announced 2,352 at Homewood Field on Friday night. Neither side has won a game in this series at home since 2004. When Johns Hopkins reviews this latest setback, the Blue Jays won't like what they see. Careless turnovers and porous defense in the fourth quarter contributed to the loss -- two factors that won't please coach Dave Pietramala.

Dave Pietramala's reputation for being cautious and methodical precedes him as he takes to the recruiting trail every summer. The Johns Hopkins coach cast that aside when it came to wooing Zach Palmer. In 2008, Pietramala received an email from former Georgetown standout Brodie Merrill, the coach at The Hill Academy, a prep school in Ontario, Canada. Embedded in the email was a four-minute video clip of a small, fast attackman who dodged, dippedand dazzled against his opponents.

Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse announced its 2013 schedule today, complete with eight home games, a seventh straight appearance in the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic and 11 nationally televised games. The 14 regular-season games will match the school record for most in a season (2010, 2011, 2012). "Despite the many ongoing changes in the landscape of college lacrosse, we are fortunate to once again have a schedule that ranks among the most challenging in the nation," coach Dave Pietramala said.

Johns Hopkins' midfielders took 20 of 29 shots in Saturday night's 9-6 loss to No. 8 Maryland, producing four goals and three assists. It was the highest percentage of shots taken by the team's midfielders this season as the attack unit of senior Chris Boland, junior Zach Palmer, sophomore Brandon Benn and freshman Wells Stanwick was kept under wraps by the Terps. The number of attempts from the midfielders did not bother Blue Jays coach Dave Pietramala. “You have to play the way people play against you,” he said Wednesday morning.

There's no way to downplay the obvious emotional ties No. 5 Johns Hopkins and No. 10 Maryland will have when they meet Saturday evening in another installment of their annual rivalry. But in some ways, both sides have been down this road before. Blue Jays coach Dave Pietramala likened this week of preparation to gearing up for much-anticipated opponents like Virginia and Syracuse. “The Virginia game is an emotional game. The Syracuse game is an emotional game,” he said Wednesday.

With No. 2 Johns Hopkins preparing to welcome No. 7 Syracuse to Homewood Field in Baltimore on Saturday, the Blue Jays would love to have their full complement of attackmen at their disposal. But it's unclear whether senior Chris Boland and freshman Wells Stanwick will be available against the Orange (3-1). “Don't know yet,” coach Dave Pietramala said of their status. “It's kind of a day-to-day, week-to-week type of thing with both guys. So we don't know yet.” Boland has missed five straight contests since injuring his shoulder in the team's season-opening victory over Towson Feb. 17. Stanwick is reportedly dealing with a hand injury that has sidelined him for the last three games.

With No. 13 Johns Hopkins mired in a 1-3 skid, perhaps it's natural to wonder if the losses are having an adverse effect on the players. If so, that's not a concern for coach Dave Pietramala. “Most people don't like to lose,” he said Monday. “Certainly, we don't like to lose around here. When you win and you beat No. 1, you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you lose a game you shouldn't lose, you're the worst thing. That's the nature of it, and that's OK. We have to embrace that.