GETTYSBURG, PA – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team returned to the win column in commanding fashion on Wednesday night, downing Gettysburg in four sets, 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 21-25, 25-20), inside Bream Gymnasium. With the victory, the Blue Jays improve to 22-4 overall and 8-1 in Centennial Conference play, extending their win streak over the Bullets to 20 straight matches.
Hopkins came out strong in the opening set, jumping to a 4-1 lead behind back-to-back service aces from
Helena Swaak. Gettysburg quickly responded to even the score, but a four-point Blue Jay surge—fueled by kills from
Jocelyn Pye and
Michela De Marzi—restored momentum. The Bullets battled back to take their first lead at 11-10 and extended it to 14-11 before a
Celine Ebert kill halted the run. Trailing 20-22 late, Hopkins rallied as Pye delivered back-to-back kills to knot the score. With the set hanging in the balance, a Swaak kill earned set point, and
Simone Adam sealed it with a swing from the outside, giving Hopkins the early edge, 26-24.
The Blue Jays carried that energy into set two, racing ahead 5-2 thanks to back-to-back blocks from
Alice Yu and Adam. The Bullets clawed back to even the frame, and a mid-set four-point burst put Gettysburg up 17-13. Unfazed, Hopkins mounted a six-point run capped by kills from De Marzi and Adam to reclaim control, 19-17. Deadlocked at 23-all, an Ebert kill set up set point, and Yu hammered home the clincher to give Hopkins a 2-0 match lead with a 25-23 win.
Gettysburg refused to fold, using a strong start in the third set to grab an early 5-2 lead. Hopkins answered with a five-point run—highlighted by three straight kills from Ebert— to move ahead 7-5. But the Bullets countered with a 9-2 run of their own to take control, 14-9, and held off the Blue Jays the rest of the way to capture the set, 25-21.
In the fourth frame, Gettysburg again opened hot with a 4-0 lead, but Hopkins quickly regrouped. Pye's kill knotted the score at 6-6, and a stuff block from Swaak and Yu later pushed the Jays ahead, 13-9. Adam delivered back-to-back kills to stretch the advantage to 18-11. The Bullets closed the gap to within two, 20-18, but Hopkins' attack proved too much down the stretch. The Blue Jays closed on a 5-2 run to seal the match, 25-20, and the 3-1 victory.
Defensively, Swaak anchored the back row with a team-high 23 digs, while De Marzi and Yu controlled the net with five blocks apiece. Offensively, Ebert led the charge with a match-high 18 kills.
Johns Hopkins will wrap up its regular season on Saturday, November 8, hosting Muhlenberg inside Goldfarb Gymnasium at 1:00 p.m. The matchup will also serve as the Blue Jays' Senior Day celebration.
