SAN ANTONIO, TX – The Johns Hopkins volleyball team closed out the Trinity Fall Classic on Saturday with a 3-1 (25-27, 25-19, 25-22, 25-21) victory over St. Thomas inside the Bell Center, snapping a five-match losing streak. With the win, Hopkins improves to 4-5 on the season.
Looking to bounce back from Friday's matches at the Trinity Fall Classic, Hopkins raced out to a 5-2 lead to open the first set behind a pair of blocks involving
Celine Ebert,
Jordan Price and
Ivy Swafford. The Celts battled back to even the score at 6-6, and the teams proceeded to trade points throughout the set. Neither team took more than a two-point lead until a Swafford kill put the Blue Jays ahead 16-13. St. Thomas answered late, and with the score tied at 25-25, the Celts closed out the set with two straight points to take the opener, 27-25.
Hopkins responded quickly in the second set, as kills from Price and Ebert, along with an ace from Swafford, helped the Blue Jays jump out to a 7-3 lead. A block from
Bethany Sherwood and Swafford later extended the advantage to 13-7. The Celts continued to battle, but back-to-back St. Thomas errors gave Hopkins a 21-17 lead. Ebert then delivered the set-clinching kill as the Blue Jays evened the match with a 25-19 win.
Continuing to set the tone early, Hopkins opened the third set with an 8-3 advantage behind kills from
Josephine Kinlan, Price and Swafford. St. Thomas fought back and threatened to pull even, but a Sherwood block kept the Blue Jays in front, 17-15. The Celts continued to apply pressure, but an Ebert dump gave Hopkins set point before the Blue Jays closed out the frame, 25-22, to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Hopkins carried its momentum into the fourth set, racing to a 7-2 lead on kills from Swafford, Sherwood and
Emma Wang. A powerful Kinlan kill extended the advantage to 14-8, while another kill from Sherwood put the Blue Jays at 20 points with a 20-14 lead. St. Thomas refused to go quietly, rattling off four straight points to cut the deficit to 23-21. Hopkins, however, held on to close out the set, 25-21, securing the 3-1 victory and snapping its five-match skid.
For the second consecutive match, Swafford set a career high in kills, finishing with 24 on a .458 hitting percentage. She also recorded her first double-double of the season with 24 kills and 15 digs.
The Blue Jays return to action Friday, September 25, taking on Scranton to open play at the Hopkins Invitational. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside Goldfarb Gymnasium.
Gallery: (9-19-2026) Volleyball vs. St. Thomas
