BALTIMORE, MD – The tenth-ranked Johns Hopkins volleyball team closed out its regular season in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon, sweeping Muhlenberg, 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21), inside Goldfarb Gymnasium. With the victory, the Blue Jays finish the regular season at 23-4 overall and 9-1 in Centennial Conference play, extending their winning streak over Muhlenberg to 11 consecutive matches.
Prior to first serve, the Blue Jays honored their graduates—
Helena Swaak,
Michela De Marzi,
Alice Yu,
Simone Adam and
Grace Wilhelm—for their outstanding contributions to the program.
The opening set was a tightly contested battle, with both teams trading points early. Hopkins took a 13-10 lead behind kills from Adam, Yu,
Celine Ebert and
Jocelyn Pye, before Muhlenberg rallied to briefly pull ahead, 17-16. The Blue Jays responded quickly with a three-point burst featuring kills from Swaak and Yu to regain the lead, 19-17. Adam then powered Hopkins to set point with three straight kills, and moments later sealed the frame with her seventh of the set to take it, 25-22.
Muhlenberg jumped out to a 7-3 advantage in set two, but Hopkins answered with a steady comeback. A seven-point run, highlighted by kills from Adam and Swaak and a block from De Marzi and Swaak, swung the momentum in favor of the Blue Jays, 15-12. Down the stretch, Yu delivered back-to-back kills to bring up set point, and Swaak closed it out with a kill of her own, 25-18, giving Hopkins a 2-0 match lead.
The final set saw another early push from Muhlenberg, as the visitors went up 14-10 before Hopkins clawed back with a 5-1 run to tie it at 15-all. Ebert and Pye each contributed key kills during the surge. With the score tight late, the Blue Jays put together one final three-point run—fueled by kills from Pye and Ebert—to reach match point at 24-20. Yu then delivered the decisive kill to finish off the sweep, 25-21.
Defensively, Swaak anchored the back row with a team-high 14 digs, while De Marzi was a force at the net with four blocks. Offensively, Adam led the charge, posting a match-high 15 kills on an impressive .452 hitting percentage.
The Blue Jays now turn their attention to the postseason, returning to Goldfarb Gymnasium on Friday, November 14, to host a Centennial Conference Semifinal matchup.
