BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team opened the Wid Guisler Invitational with a commanding sweep of Nazareth on Friday evening inside the Memorial Gymnasium. The Blue Jays took the match in straight sets, 25-14, 25-13, 25-15, improving to 8-2 on the season.
The match began with a back-and-forth battle, but Hopkins quickly gained momentum, taking a 7-4 lead. The Blue Jays never let go of their advantage, holding a consistent three-point cushion throughout the opening set. After a four-point run, Hopkins extended its lead to 11-5. Although Nazareth responded, trimming the deficit to four, Hopkins answered back with another four-point surge, fueled by four Golden Eagle errors, to push the lead to 14-7. The Blue Jays continued to dominate with a balanced offensive attack, as six different players –
Michela De Marzi,
Celine Ebert,
Anna Pantano,
Jocelyn Pye,
Alice Yu and
Helena Swaak – registered kills. With set-point at 24-14, Swaak sealed the deal with a service ace, giving Hopkins a 25-14 victory in the first set.
The second set mirrored the first in terms of control, as Hopkins seized an early 10-4 lead, thanks to key kills from
Simone Adam, Yu and Pantano. Though Nazareth attempted to rally, narrowing the gap to 12-9, the Blue Jays quickly regained their momentum. A series of well-timed kills from Adam, De Marzi, Ebert and
Nicole Tuszynski pushed the lead to 20-11. Back-to-back kills from De Marzi – her fifth and sixth of the match – delivered set-point and match-point for Hopkins. The Blue Jays clinched the second set, 25-13, taking a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Hopkins came out of the gate strong in the third set, rattling off the first six points, including two service aces from Pantano. A service error finally gave Nazareth its first point, but the Blue Jays were relentless, quickly extending their lead to 10-2. Hopkins continued to dominate, pushing their advantage to 13 points, 17-4. Nazareth showed resilience, cutting the deficit to seven at 20-13, but Hopkins responded with precision. A service ace from Pye set up match-point, and freshman
Emma Wang sealed the win with a decisive kill, 25-15.
The Blue Jays return to action on Saturday, September 20, in the final day of the Wid Guisler Invitational, squaring off against Christopher Newport at 1PM before wrapping the weekend up with a contest against fourth-ranked Juniata at 5PM.
