HAVERFORD, PA – The No. 9 Johns Hopkins volleyball team took on Haverford in Centennial Conference action Saturday afternoon, topping the Fords 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-16) in enemy territory. After a close opening set, the Jays used contributions from across the roster to secure the sweep and extend their winning streak to six.
Simrin Carlsen continued to solidify herself as one of the best hitters in the nation, tallying a game-high 21 kills on a season-high .514 hitting percentage. It is the junior's fifth time eclipsing the 20-kill mark this season and fourth in her last seven matches.
Helena Swaak led the pack in assists once again, registering 38 to push her season-average back up to 10.69 per set, while it was
Grace Reininga and
Alice Yu pacing Hopkins defensively with game-high marks in digs (12) and blocks (4) respectively.
Contrary to what the final scoreline read, it was Haverford (7-11, 2-2 Centennial) who took early control of Saturday's match using a 7-1 run to take a 10-4 lead. The Jays (15-3, 4-0 Centennial) chipped away at the lead until a Carlsen-kill — one of her eight in the set — sparked a 6-1 response to knot the score at 16.
The Fords pulled away again, holding a 20-17 lead before another 5-1 outburst from Hopkins with kills coming from
Chidinma Onukwugha and Carlsen as well as a block by Swaak and Yu, gave the Jays their first lead of the set at 22-21. That advantage changed hands, with Haverford threatening to take the set up 24-23, but a 3-0 run that ended with a decisive kill from Yu stole the first set for Hopkins, 26-24.
The Jays began to take control in Set 2, hitting .289 compared to just .175 for Haverford in a frame that they never trailed. Kills from Carlsen and Onukwugha quickly put Hopkins ahead 3-0, with the visitors slowly building that lead until the score read 11-6. A 4-1 burst from the Fords cut the lead to two, but the Jays had a response once again coming from Carlsen, with the reigning Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week accounting for three of the next five Hopkins points to once again put her side ahead 17-12 and forced Haverford to call a timeout.
Out of the break the Fords went on an immediate 5-1 run to make it a one-point game, but a 4-0 response that featured kills by
Pamela Chiakpo and
Roxy Karrer all but put the set out of reach. With the score at 23-20,
Evelyn Batista registered her fourth career kill and first of the season before a block by Carlsen and Yu ended the set 25-20 and put the Jays up 2-0.
All of the pieces came together in Saturday's final set, as Hopkins paired a set-high 17 kills with a set-low two errors en route to a hitting percentage of .517. The frame was evenly matched at the start until the score read 5-5 and a 3-1 spurt that feature two kills and a block by Onukwugha put the Jays in the lead for good. Hopkins maintained a comfortable lead at 20-16 before an attack error, pair of service aces from Swaak — she finished with a game-high four — and kills from Chiakpo and Carlsen closed out the set 25-16 and secured the 3-0 sweep.
The Jays continue their stretch of conference matches with a contest against Washington College Wednesday, October 18. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
