BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team extended its dominance in Centennial Conference action Wednesday evening, sweeping Washington College in straight sets, 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-17), inside Goldfarb Gymnasium. With the win, the Blue Jays improve to 21-3 overall and remain unbeaten in conference play at 7-0. The victory marks Hopkins' seventh consecutive sweep and 36th straight win over the Shorewomen.
The opening set began with the teams trading points before the Blue Jays seized control with a commanding eight-point run. Sparked by kills from
Jocelyn Pye and
Celine Ebert, a block from Pye and
Michela De Marzi and a service ace from
Simone Adam, Hopkins surged to an 11-2 lead. Washington College managed to close the gap slightly, but Hopkins' relentless offense proved too much. A kill from
Emily Overtoom put the Blue Jays on set point at 24-13, and an attack error from the Shorewomen sealed the first frame, 25-13.
The second set featured tighter play, with the teams locked at 7-7 before Washington College used a four-point run to grab an 11-7 advantage. The Blue Jays responded immediately, as kills from
Helena Swaak and De Marzi evened the score at 12. Neither side backed down, battling to a 22-22 deadlock. Hopkins closed the door with a clutch three-point run capped by a set-ending service ace from
Nicole Tuszynski to take the set, 25-22.
Hopkins wasted no time asserting control in the final frame, racing out to a 7-1 lead behind kills from four different Blue Jays—Adam, De Marzi, Ebert and Swaak. The Blue Jays extended their cushion to 15-5 with additional strikes from Overtoom,
Anna Pantano and
Alice Yu. Though the Shorewomen fought to stay alive, Hopkins' balanced attack and strong net play proved decisive. A kill by Yu set up match point at 24-16, and two rallies later, a Washington College service error clinched the sweep, 25-17.
Defensively, Tuszynski anchored the back row with 12 digs, while Yu led the blocking effort with three stuffs. De Marzi and Swaak each added a pair of blocks. Offensively, Adam, Pye and Yu paced the attack with six kills apiece, while Yu hit an impressive .545 to lead all players.
The Blue Jays return to action on Saturday, November 1, traveling to Haverford, Pa., to take on Haverford at 12:00 p.m.
