BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team battled back from a two-set deficit to push Gettysburg to the brink Wednesday night, but the Bullets held off a late Blue Jay rally to escape Goldfarb Gymnasium with a 3-1 victory (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 27-25). The loss snapped Hopkins' four-match winning streak, dropping the Blue Jays to 14-8 overall and 6-3 in Centennial Conference play.
Gettysburg (17-8, 5-4 CC) took control early, edging Hopkins in a tightly contested opening set before carrying that momentum into the second. The Blue Jays showed flashes of momentum throughout the first two frames, but the Bullets consistently found answers down the stretch, closing out both sets to take a 2-0 advantage.
Facing a potential sweep, Hopkins responded with its best stretch of the night. After trailing by as many as five points in the third set, the Blue Jays refused to let the match slip away. With Gettysburg leading 21-18, Hopkins erupted for seven consecutive points, fueled by kills from
Celine Ebert,
Bethany Sherwood and
Anna Pantano, to close out the set 25-21 and extend the match.
The momentum carried into the fourth, as Hopkins built a five-point advantage at 19-14 and appeared poised to force a deciding fifth set. Gettysburg, however, answered with a seven-point run to reclaim the lead at 21-19, setting up a dramatic finish. The Blue Jays battled back to even the score at 25-25, but the Bullets secured the final two points to escape with the 27-25 victory and end Hopkins' four-match winning streak.
Ivy Swafford led the Blue Jays with a match-high 19 kills, adding three service aces and 11 digs. Ebert contributed 14 kills while hitting .303, while
Ella Wismer added nine kills and three blocks.
Sami Hockers orchestrated the Hopkins offense with 27 assists and chipped in 15 digs, while
Nicole Tuszynski anchored the defense with a match-high 28 digs.
The Blue Jays return to action Saturday, November 7, traveling to Allentown, PA, for their final regular-season match against Muhlenberg. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Memorial Hall.
