BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins Volleyball program wrapped up an undefeated weekend at the Greg "Gio" Giovanazzi Memorial Tournament Saturday night, sweeping Capital 3-0 (25-13 | 25-17 | 25-13) in its opener, before winning a thriller against Babson 3-1 (27-29 | 25-18 | 25-20 | 25-14). The Blue Jays improve to 3-0 on the 2025 season.
In honor of former Johns Hopkins head coach Greg "Gio" Giovanazzi, an All-Tournament Team was selected by the head coaches of the four participating programs at the conclusion of the event. Earning the distinction were Abby Brunner (Capital), Alexa Kelleher (Rowan), Sabina Frosk and Liberty May (Babson) and
Alice Yu and
Simone Adam (Johns Hopkins).
Game 1: Johns Hopkins 3, Capital 0
The Blue Jays opened day two with a decisive sweep of Capital as they cruised to set wins by scores of 25-13, 25-17 and 25-13. Johns Hopkins never trailed in its second victory of the
Bayleigh Braswell era.
The Blue Jays sprinted to a 7-1 lead in the opening set on the strength of kills from four different players. The Comets crept back within 11-8 after a Blue Jay attacking error, but a Capital service error and a
Celine Ebert kill ignited a 9-2 spurt for Johns Hopkins that fueled the first-set victory. The Blue Jays hit .364 on the strength of 16 kills in the opening frame.
Another quick start helped Hopkins grab control of the second set as the Blue Jays used a 6-0 run to turn an early 2-2 into an 8-2 lead that was never seriously threatened. A pair of
Jocelyn Pye kills led the way early for the Blue Jays, who watched the Comets answer their early surge with a three-point run of their own to cut the deficit in half at 8-5.
Simone Adam halted the Capital run with a kill and the Blue Jay lead never dropped below six in the eight-point set victory.
The teams played nearly evenly through 10 points of the third set as Hopkins led just 6-4 after a service error, but back-to-back kills from
Helena Swaak and Adam ignited a quick five-point Blue Jay run to make it 11-6. The teams played evenly through the middle of the set before an Ebert kill sparked a 5-1 run that extended the Hopkins lead to 19-9 and the Blue Jays would cruise home and complete the sweep on a match-ending kill from
Michela De Marzi and a Swaak service ace.
Adam collected a team-high 11 kills and hit .550 in the match to lead the way for Johns Hopkins, which also got strong efforts at the net from
Alice Yu (8 kills) and Ebert (7). Swaak (19) and
Annika Anderson (12) combined for 31 assists and
Nicole Tuszysnki was good for a team-high 12 digs in the victory.
Chloe Preocanin picked up nearly half of Capital's kills in the match as she had a team-high 11, while Samaree Perkins added six as the duo combined for 17 of the team's 23 in the loss.
Game 2: Johns Hopkins 3, Babson 1
Hopkins wrapped up day two of competition with a thrilling 3-1 win over Babson, overcoming its only set loss of the weekend in a tightly contested opening frame. After dropping the first set, 27-29, the Blue Jays regrouped and dominated the next three sets – 25-18, 25-20 and 25-14 – to seal the victory.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle from the outset. After falling behind 0-3, the Blue Jays quickly evened the score behind a pair of kills from
Ivy Swafford. Hopkins surged ahead to a 16-9 lead, but Babson responded, tying things up at 24-24. With the score knotted at 27, a fortunate bounce off the rafters gave the Beavers a 28-27 edge, and Isabella Allen closed out the set with a kill.
Babson opened the second set with three quick points, but the Blue Jays quickly found their rhythm to take a 13-10 lead. A trio of kills from Adam and a pair from Yu helped Hopkins build a commanding 22-13 lead, en route to a 25-18 win.
With the match tied 1-1, the third set featured another tightly contested exchange, as neither team led by more than three points for most of the frame. A late six-point run, fueled by kills from Swafford (2), Adam and Swaak gave Hopkins a 23-17 advantage. Babson trimmed the lead to four, but a set-ending kill from Adam gave the Blue Jays the edge, 25-20.
Rather than letting the match go the distance, Hopkins came out strong in the fourth, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and extending it to 9-3. Babson narrowed the gap to 12-8, but Hopkins closed the door with a dominant 13-6 run, capped by a match-ending kill from Swafford. The Blue Jays were nearly unstoppable in the final frame, hitting .476 on 11 kills, while holding Babson to just .037 on eight kills.
Adam and Swafford led the offense with 17 kills apiece, with Adam hitting an impressive .429. Swaak and Anderson split setting duties, each recording 22 assists. Defensively, Tuszynski paced the team with 14 digs, followed closely by Swafford with 11.
The Blue Jays return to the action September 5, for the Hopkins Invitational, where they will take on Hardin-Simmons in an 8PM nightcap, followed by matches against UMass Dartmouth and Colby-Sawyer September 6, at 10AM and 2PM, respectfully.
