MUHLENBERG, PA – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team closed out its regular season on a high note Saturday afternoon, holding off a late Muhlenberg rally to earn a 3-1 victory (25-14, 25-19, 22-25, 26-24) inside Memorial Hall. The win secured the Blue Jays the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Centennial Conference Tournament as they finished the regular season 15-8 overall and 7-3 in conference play.
Hopkins established control early, using a strong offensive attack and a dominant presence at the net to take the first two sets. After Muhlenberg threatened to even the opening set at seven,
Anna Pantano sparked a four-point run with a kill to give the Blue Jays some breathing room.
Ivy Swafford followed with back-to-back kills as part of a stretch that saw Hopkins pull away for a 25-14 win.
The Blue Jays carried that momentum into the second set, breaking open a tightly contested frame with a pair of key scoring runs. A six-point spurt, capped by another Swafford kill, pushed Hopkins' advantage to 19-11 before the Blue Jays closed out the set, 25-19, to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
The Mules (13-14, 4-6 CC) responded in the third, finding their rhythm in a back-and-forth set that featured several lead changes. Hopkins appeared poised to take control after building a 20-17 advantage, but Muhlenberg answered with a decisive late run, scoring seven of the next eight points to claim the set, 25-22, and force a fourth frame.
With the match and the No. 3 seed still to be decided, the Blue Jays faced another challenge in the fourth. Hopkins built an early 10-5 lead, but the Mules continued to fight, eventually erasing a three-point deficit to even the score at 19 before taking a 23-22 advantage.
Bethany Sherwood delivered a timely kill to put the Blue Jays at match point, and Hopkins followed by winning the final two points to seal the 26-24 victory and secure its place as the conference's third seed.
Swafford powered the Hopkins attack with a match-high 22 kills, adding five blocks and three digs. Sherwood contributed seven kills while leading all players with six blocks, helping anchor a Blue Jay defense that finished with 13 total blocks.
Sami Hockers directed the offense with 26 assists, while
Nicole Tuszynski paced the back row with a match-high 18 digs.
The Blue Jays now turn their attention to the postseason, returning to Goldfarb Gymnasium on Wednesday, November 11, to host Gettysburg in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament. First serve is to be determined.
