WESTMINSTER, MD – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team made sure Wednesday night would have a different ending.
After dropping back-to-back five-set matches despite winning the opening set 25-13 in both contests, the Blue Jays responded with a dominant performance at McDaniel, sweeping the Green Terror 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-17) inside the Gill Center. Hopkins improves to 11-7 overall and 4-2 in Centennial Conference play with the win.
The Blue Jays started strong, using a six-point run in the opening set to turn a tightly contested start into a comfortable advantage.
Anna Pantano sparked the surge with a thunderous kill, putting Hopkins ahead 14-10, and the Blue Jays never relinquished control. A kill from
Jocelyn Pye brought Hopkins to set point before
Annika Anderson delivered an ace to close out the frame, 25-15.
Hopkins carried that momentum into the second set, with
Emma Wang,
Ivy Swafford and
Celine Ebert delivering consecutive kills to help the Blue Jays jump ahead 7-3. Anderson added another ace as Hopkins continued to build its lead, and a late surge pushed the advantage to eight.
Elysa Pulliam finished off the set with back-to-back kills, sealing a 25-14 win and putting the Blue Jays one set away from ending their skid.
McDaniel (8-10, 1-4 CC) provided its strongest push in the third, rallying from an early deficit to take a 12-8 lead. But Hopkins answered when it mattered most. A kill from
Ella Wismer helped ignite a seven-point run that swung the lead back to the Blue Jays, 15-12. The Green Terror stayed within reach down the stretch, but Hopkins held firm, with
Nicole Tuszynski delivering the match-clinching ace in a 25-17 set victory.
Swafford powered the Blue Jays' attack with a match-high 14 kills while hitting .542, as Hopkins finished with a .371 team hitting percentage. Pantano added nine kills and a match-high five service aces, while Anderson directed the offense with 15 assists and contributed two aces.
The Blue Jays will look to carry that momentum into their final non-conference match of the season when they host Salisbury on Saturday, October 24. First serve is set for 1 p.m. inside Goldfarb Gymnasium.
