Johns Hopkins University women’s volleyball defeated sixth-seeded Gettysburg, 3-1, in the Centennial Conference Tournament quarterfinals Wednesday in Baltimore, Maryland, advancing to the semifinals. The third-seeded Blue Jays lost the opening set 25-18 before winning the final three sets 25-17, 25-23 and 25-19 to improve to 16-8, while Gettysburg fell to 18-9.
Ivy Swafford led Johns Hopkins with 21 kills and 21 digs. Ella Wismer added 14 kills, while Celine Ebert and Anna Pantano each recorded 11, as the four players combined for 57 kills.
Johns Hopkins Women’s Volleyball Responds After Opening-Set Loss
Gettysburg never trailed in the first set and used a late 7-3 run to take a 25-18 lead. Emma Bradshaw recorded two kills during the stretch, and Ava Grall ended the set with a kill.
Johns Hopkins controlled the second set from start to finish. After the teams split the first four points, the Blue Jays used a 7-1 run to build a 9-3 advantage and later closed the set with an 11-6 run.
Swafford contributed two kills during the early surge and three more during the closing run. Ebert and Pantano also produced three kills apiece during the final stretch as Johns Hopkins evened the match.
Swafford and Ebert Help Close Out Gettysburg
The third set featured 16 ties before Johns Hopkins secured a 25-23 victory. Swafford recorded a kill and two service aces during a three-point run, Wismer added a late kill, and Ebert delivered the set-clinching point.
Johns Hopkins built an eight-point lead in the fourth set after moving ahead 13-5, but Gettysburg answered with a 7-1 run. Wismer halted the surge with a kill, and Pantano added two late kills as the Blue Jays finished the match with a 25-19 win.
Annika Anderson recorded 37 assists, and Sami Hockers added 21 for Johns Hopkins. Swafford and Nicole Tuszynski combined for 41 digs, with Tuszynski contributing 20.
Gettysburg received nine kills from Bradshaw and eight from Grall, while Halle Feth and Kaitlyn Hedrick combined for 28 assists. Kierra Fox led the Bullets with 14 digs.
Johns Hopkins Advances to Centennial Conference Semifinals
The victory extended Johns Hopkins’ Centennial Conference Tournament winning streak to 18 matches dating to 2016. The Blue Jays also entered the match with nine consecutive conference championships.
The win avenged Johns Hopkins’ 3-1 loss to Gettysburg seven days earlier on the same floor. Johns Hopkins was scheduled to play second-seeded Swarthmore at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Centennial Conference semifinals.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Johns Hopkins recovered from its opening-set loss by winning three consecutive sets. Swafford’s 21-kill, 21-dig performance led the way, while the Blue Jays’ four leading attackers combined for 57 kills and Anderson and Hockers totaled 58 assists.
Source: Original report
