LANCASTER, PA – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team wrapped up its regular season with a matchup against Franklin & Marshall Saturday afternoon, sweeping past the Diplomats, 3-0 (29-27, 25-23, 25-15) to extend its win streak 17 and secure the top seed in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament. The win completes a perfect, 10-0 season in conference play for the Blue Jays, marking the fifth time in the last six seasons Hopkins has finished the regular season without a Centennial loss.
 
In one of the Blue Jays' (27-2, 10-0 Centennial) more tightly contested matchups of the entire season, it was Hopkins hitting .277 compared to .144 for F&M (22-5, 8-2 Centennial). Simone Adam and Jilienne Widener shared the match-lead in kills at 13 apiece and with Ivy Swafford joining the duo in double figures with 11. Simrin Carlsen and Helena Swaak added four aces apiece while defensively it was Widener racking up five blocks for the second straight match, with Nicole Tuszynski pacing the team in digs with a match-high 16.
 
The Diplomats capitalized on a trio of Blue Jays errors to jump out to a 5-3 lead in the first set before consecutive kills from Swafford capped off a 3-0 Hopkins run knotted things at seven. The score remained within two, with F&M holding a 14-12 advantage until a service error sparked a 5-0 Hopkins run that featured an Alice Yu ace, Widener block and Adam finisher put the Blue Jays in front 17-14. With the score level at 20 Hopkins turned to Swafford once again — the sophomore totaled seven kills on eight attacks in the frame — for its next three points to retake the lead at 23-21.
 
From there began a seesaw-like affair with the Blue Jays failing to convert on set point at 24-23 before holding off a trio of F&M set points, finally knotting the score for the 14^th time in the frame at 27-27 before a Diplomats error and Swafford's seventh kill closed out a pivotal first set, 29-27.
 
Set 2 told a similar story with Hopkins narrowly outhitting F&M .242 to .225 en route to a 25-23 win. Like the first set, the score was level at four early before Adam's second of six kills in the frame started a 4-0 spurt to double up the hosts 8-4. The advantage grew to as much as five at 11-6, but a 5-1 response by the Diplomats cut the lead to just one at 12-11 midway through the frame. The sides traded points until another 4-1 F&M run gave them the 23-22 lead, but there with an answer late again were the Blue Jays, who got kills from Widener and Adam as well as an ace from Swaak to wrap up Set 2, 25-23.
 
Saturday's final set was all Hopkins, with Widener registering three of its first six points — two via the block and one kill — to leap in front 6-2. The Diplomats got as close as two on two occasions at 8-6 and 11-9, but Widener struck again to kickstart a 5-0 run to balloon the Blue Jays' lead to 16-9. A Carlsen-Chidinma Onukwugha block capped off a 6-2 burst to build the lead to double digits at 23-13 before the sides traded the final four points, with a service error closing out the set, 25-15 and match, 3-0.
 
Next up for Hopkins is the Centennial Conference Tournament, where they will take on the winner of the match between fourth-seeded Gettysburg and fifth-seeded Haverford. First serve for the Conference Semifinal is set to be decided.