HAVERFORD, PA – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team dropped its first Centennial Conference match of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling to Haverford in four sets, 3-1 (25-13, 29-31, 16-25, 20-25), inside Gooding '84 Arena. With the setback, the Blue Jays move to 21-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The loss also marks Hopkins' first defeat to Haverford since 2013, snapping an 11-match winning streak against the Fords.
Hopkins came out strong in the opening set, racing to a 7-2 lead behind kills from
Helena Swaak,
Simone Adam,
Michela De Marzi and
Jocelyn Pye. The Blue Jays continued to apply pressure from the service line, extending their advantage to 16-8 on back-to-back aces by
Annika Anderson, paired with a block and kill from
Alice Yu.
Charlotte Voss added an ace to set up set point at 24-13, and De Marzi teamed up with
Celine Ebert for a block to seal the frame, 25-13.
The second set turned into a thriller. After falling behind 9-3, the Blue Jays clawed their way back with a five-point run highlighted by three kills from Adam to knot the score at 13-all. The two sides traded points down the stretch, with Hopkins fending off multiple set points to tie the frame at 25, 26 and 27. Holding set point at 29-28, the Jays looked poised to take control, but Haverford answered with three straight points to steal the set, 31-29, evening the match at one apiece.
Momentum swung toward the Fords in the third set. A six-point run midway through the frame broke open a close battle, putting Haverford up 15-11. Despite a brief Hopkins rally, the Fords closed on an 9-2 surge to capture the set, 25-16, and take a 2-1 match lead.
Hopkins fought back in the fourth, jumping out to an 8-4 lead on kills from Adam, Ebert and De Marzi. The Blue Jays continued to hold control midway through the set, up 12-6, before Haverford chipped away. Up 22-19, the Fords closed out the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth to hand the Blue Jays their first conference loss of the year.
Defensively,
Nicole Tuszynski anchored the back row with 19 digs, while Yu dominated at the net with eight blocks. De Marzi added six more stuffs to the team's total. Offensively, Adam led the Hopkins attack with 16 kills on a .302 hitting percentage—the best mark by any player in the match.
The Blue Jays will look to bounce back on Wednesday, November 5, when they travel to Gettysburg, Pa., to take on the Bullets at 7:00 p.m.
