SALISBURY, MD – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team earned a hard-fought sweep on Saturday afternoon at Salisbury as the Blue Jays won by scores of 25-23, 28-26 and 25-22 to run their winning streak to seven and improve to 16-7 on the year.
 
There were 15 ties and nine lead changes in an epic first set that saw the Blue Jays close strong to grab a 1-0 lead.  The Sea Gulls led by as many as four early before the Blue Jays fought back.  Neither team led by more than one from the time the Blue Jays were up 11-9 until Salisbury grabbed a 23-21 lead on a Blue Jay attack error.  Hopkins scored the last four points of the set as kills from Simone Adam and Alice Yu and a pair of Helena Swaak service aces fueled a four-point-set-ending run for the Blue Jays.
 
Johns Hopkins jumped to a 7-1 lead in set two and had a 23-16 lead late, but the Sea Gulls rallied and pulled even at 24 after three consecutive attacking errors for the Blue Jays.  Tied at 26, the Blue Jays got a Yu kill and Swaak service ace to grab the 28-26 set victory and go up 2-0.
 
The third set mirrored the first with 14 ties and three lead changes, but it was a late spurt for the Blue Jays that would be the difference.  Tied at 19, the Blue Jays got back-to-back kills from Chidinma Onukwugha and Simrin Carlsen to ignite a 6-3 set-ending run that was capped by another Onukwugha kill.
 
Onukwugha's match-high 11 kills paced the Blue Jays, who also got 10 from Adam and eight from Yu.  Swaak tied her career high with 36 assists and added 17 digs, while Evelyn Batista added 16 digs.  Onukwugh also had a hand in five blocks in the victory.
 
Amanda Chew had a team-high 10 kills for Salisbury and Angelina Casserly added nine, but the 'Gulls hit just .107 on the day and were swept for just the third time this season.
 
What's Next
Johns Hopkins will return to the court on Wednesday, October 26 when the Blue Jays close out Centennial Conference play against Washington College in Goldfarb Gym (7 pm).