BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins Volleyball Program kicked off its 2025 season in style with a dominant 3-0 sweep over Rowan in the opening match of the Greg "Gio" Giovanazzi Memorial Tournament, held Friday evening at Goldfarb Gym. The Blue Jays never trailed for all but one point in the match, marking a solid start to the season under first-year head coach Bayleigh Braswell, who earned her first career win at the helm.
 
Hopkins came out strong, opening the match with an 8-0 run. The Blue Jays then exchanged points with Rowan, ultimately taking the first set 25-18. Freshman Celine Ebert shined in her collegiate debut, contributing six of her team-leading 13 kills in the opening set. Senior Simone Adam also played a key role, notching four of her nine kills in the first frame
 
The second set followed a similar script. Hopkins weathered several runs from Rowan, keeping the score close but never surrendering the lead. A balanced attack saw five different Blue Jays register kills, with Ebert, Adam, Ivy Swafford, Alice Yu and Helena Swaak all contributing. Swaak led the charge with five kills in the set, and Hopkins clinched the frame 25-20 to take a 2-0 match lead.
 
The Blue Jays allowed Rowan a brief lead early in the third set, but quickly regained control, surging to a 15-6 advantage. Despite Rowan narrowing the gap to 15-13, Hopkins finished strong, securing the set 25-18 and completing the sweep. Ebert was again the driving force, registering four kills on four attempts in the third set alone.
 
Sophomore Annika Anderson dished out a team-high 19 assists, with Swaak close behind, contributing 18 assists of her own.
 
The Blue Jays will return to the court tomorrow for a pair of matches, facing Capital at 1PM before wrapping up the tournament against Babson at 5PM.