HUNTINGDON, PA – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team concluded the Wid Guisler Invitational with dominate victories over Christopher Newport and #4 Juniata on Saturday evening at Memorial Gymnasium. The Blue Jays swept the Captains 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-19) and secured a 3-1 win over the Eagles (31-29, 26-24, 20-25, 25-12), improving to 10-2 on the season. The victory over Juniata also marked their first win over the defending national champions since 2021.
 
An annual tradition, 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 Alyssa Dozier (Christopher Newport), Zipporah Sparkman (Nazareth), Isabella Rushing and Audrey Muth (Juniata) and Helena Swaak, Ivy Swafford and Simone Adam (Johns Hopkins). Additionally, Adam was named the Tournament MVP.
 
Game 1: Johns Hopkins 3, Christopher Newport 0
The first set was a back-and-forth affair early on, with the Blue Jays trailing 3-6 before regaining momentum. A key kill from Celine Ebert and a block from Ebert and Michela De Marzi tied the set at 8-8. After some back-and-forth, Hopkins flipped the script, going on a 5-0 run to take a 16-12 lead. The surge was sparked by a pair of kills from Helena Swaak, along with contributions from Alice Yu and Emma Wang. With the score tied at 22, a costly CNU error gave Hopkins a 23-22 lead. Ivy Swafford then served an ace to set up set-point, and just moments later, Yu delivered the set-clinching kill to give the Blue Jays the 25-22 win.
 
In the second set, Hopkins quickly took control, jumping out to a 4-1 lead. As CNU mounted a threat to tie the set at 8-8, the Blue Jays stayed composed and rattled off a 7-0 run to build a commanding 15-7 lead. Swafford's service ace and key kills from Yu helped fuel the surge. Hopkins continued to dominate, as Simone Adam's kill extended the lead to 9 and shortly thereafter, back-to-back kills from De Marzi made it 10 – their largest lead of the match. With the set firmly in hand, Ebert set up set-point with a kill at 24-14. Though CNU responded with three straight points, Swafford sealed the set with her sixth kill of the match, giving the Blue Jays a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
 
The third set mirrored the previous two, with both teams exchanging points early. A service ace from Yu put Hopkins up 8-5, and following a crucial block by Swafford and De Marzi, the Blue Jays extended their lead to 12-7. Hopkins continued to pull away, as a 4-0 run, featuring kills from Ebert, Adam, Yu and Swafford pushed the lead to 17-9. CNU fought back briefly, trimming the deficit to 19-14, but the Blue Jays responded with another 4-0 run, highlighted by kills from Adam and De Marzi and an ace from Swaak, to take a commanding 23-14 lead. A kill from Adam set match-point at 24-16, and though CNU rallied to win three consecutive points, Swafford put the finishing touch on the match with a kill to secure the 25-19 win.
 
Defensively, libero Nicole Tuszynski led all players with a match-high 15 digs, while De Marzi anchored the Blue Jays' defense at the net with six blocks. Offensively, Hopkins outpaced CNU, hitting .218 for the match compared to the Captains' .130.
 
Game 2: Johns Hopkins 3, Juniata 1
In the opening set, both teams came out swinging, exchanging points in a high-intensity battle. Hopkins gained its first significant lead at 8-5, courtesy of a powerful kill from Simone Adam. Helena Swaak followed suit with a timely kill, and an error by the Eagles extended the Blue Jay advantage to five points, 12-7. A dominant sequence of back-to-back blocks from Michela De Marzi, Alice Yu and Swaak forced Juniata to call a timeout with Hopkins leading, 15-10.
 
Out of the break, the Eagles mounted a three-point run, narrowing the gap to two. However, a kill from Adam and a service ace from Swaak quickly regained momentum for the Blue Jays. The set was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading points and the score deadlocked at 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29. In the clutch, Celine Ebert delivered back-to-back kills to secure a 31-29 set victory for Hopkins.
 
The second set mirrored the intensity of the first. Both teams continued to trade points, with no side able to pull away by more than two points. However, Hopkins found itself trailing by three, 14-17, and then four points, 18-22. The Blue Jays mounted a rally, capitalizing on a series of Eagles errors to even the score at 23. With their backs against the wall at set-point, 23-24, Ivy Swafford delivered a crucial kill to tie things up. Then, back-to-back kills from Adam gave the Blue Jays a 26-24 win, taking a 2-0 match lead.
 
Hopkins faced an uphill battle in the third set, dropping the first four points before finally getting on the board with a Juniata error. The Blue Jays pulled within one on multiple occasions but never gained the lead. Juniata pushed ahead, building a seven-point lead, 12-19 – Hopkins' largest deficit of the match. Refusing to back down, the Blue Jays went on a 4-0 run, fueled by kills from Swafford and Yu, cutting the margin to three, 16-19. However, the Eagles held firm and won the third set, 20-25, narrowing Hopkins' lead to 2-1.
 
Looking to close out the match in the fourth set, the Blue Jays came out strong with a 2-0 lead. From there, the teams continued to exchange points until Adam's kill gave Hopkins a four-point advantage at 12-8. The Blue Jays then took control at the net, extending their lead to eight, 18-10, thanks to kills from Ebert and Swaak, as well as a service ace from Swaak and several attack errors by Juniata. A pair of Eagles' miscues and another kill from Ebert put Hopkins up by 11, 22-11. Swafford's kill brought the Blue Jays to set-point, and a service ace from Nicole Tuszynski sealed the win, 25-12, and clinched the match for Hopkins.
 
Defensively, Tuszynski anchored the back row with 23 digs, while Yu dominated the net with a match-high four blocks. Offensively, the Blue Jays outpaced the Eagles, hitting a solid .274 for the match compared to Juniata's .134.
 
Hopkins return to action Friday, September 26, squaring off against Wesleyan at 7PM, before concluding the weekend with matchups against Endicott and Tufts.