MIDDLETOWN, CT – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team opened their weekend slate with a gritty, hard-fought victory over 22^nd-ranked Wesleyan, taking down the previously undefeated Cardinals in four sets (25-22, 27-25, 19-25, 25-21) on Friday night at Silloway Gymnasium. With the victory, the Blue Jays improve to 11-2 on the season.
 
The opening frame saw momentum swing both ways early, with Hopkins falling behind 4-8 before rallying with a four-point run behind kills from Helena Swaak and Ivy Swafford to even the score. Later trailing 12-16, the Blue Jays launched a decisive seven-point surge powered by Simone Adam, Alice Yu and Swafford, as well as a crucial block from Swaak and Yu, to grab a 19-16 lead. Adam capped her strong start with her fifth kill of the set marking set-point, and a Wesleyan error sealed the 25-22 win.
 
Hopkins found itself in a 4-11 hole early in the second, struggling to respond to a hot Wesleyan start. The Blue Jays began chipping away, fueled by kills from Celine Ebert and Nicole Tuszynski, trimming the deficit to two at 13-15. A perfectly timed timeout and subsequent kills from Adam and Swaak brought Hopkins within one, 16-17. A Yu kill tied the set at 20 before the Cardinals pulled ahead 23-20. Undeterred, the Jays rallied to tie it at 24, took their first lead at 25-24 on a Yu and Swaak block, and closed the set 27-25 on an Adam kill to take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
 
Wesleyan opened the third with a dominant seven-point run and extended the lead to 11-3. Hopkins responded out of a timeout with kills from Adam and Michela De Marzi and took advantage of Cardinal errors to close the gap to 9-14. Despite additional kills from Yu and an ace from Anna Pantano, the Jays couldn't complete the comeback, falling 19-25 after a kill from Wesleyan's Mila Chan.
 
Ebert, a freshman, set the tone in the fourth, recording four early kills and a block to push Hopkins out to an 8-2 lead. Back-to-back blocks by Adam and Yu extended the cushion to 10-2. Wesleyan fought back within five at 12-7, but the Blue Jays remained composed, building the lead back to 18-10. The Cardinals mounted one last push, trimming the deficit to 23-20, but a Swaak kill brought up match point, and Adam delivered the final blow with her match-high 20^th kill to close it out, 25-21.
 
Defensively, Tuszynski paced the Jays with 23 digs, while Yu patrolled the net with seven blocks. Additionally, Swaak collected her second triple-double of the season (13 kills, 27 assists, 18 digs).
 
The Blue Jays return to action on Saturday, September 26, squaring off against Endicott at 12PM before wrapping the weekend up with a contest against Tufts at 2:30PM.