Johns Hopkins women’s volleyball opened the 2026 season with a 3-0 victory over Penn State Altoona on Friday, Sept. 4, at Goldfarb Gymnasium in Baltimore. The Blue Jays won 25-21, 25-18 and 25-21 in the opening match of the Greg “Gio” Giovanazzi Memorial Tournament.
Johns Hopkins improved to 1-0, while Penn State Altoona was listed at 1-1. Ivy Swafford led all players with 16 kills in the season opener.
Johns Hopkins Overcomes Early Deficits
Johns Hopkins built a 6-1 lead in the first set before Penn State Altoona answered with five consecutive points and later moved ahead 14-11. Kills from Swafford, Celine Ebert and Josephine Kinlan helped the Blue Jays tie the set at 14-14 before Johns Hopkins scored four straight points to regain control.
Bethany Sherwood’s kill put Johns Hopkins ahead 18-15, and Emily Overtoom added an ace during the closing stretch. A Penn State Altoona mis-hit helped the Blue Jays finish the set 25-21 and take a 1-0 match lead.
Penn State Altoona opened the second set with a 5-2 advantage, but Johns Hopkins responded with four consecutive points. An Ebert kill then sparked an 8-0 Blue Jays run, with Kinlan capping the surge with back-to-back aces to push Johns Hopkins ahead 20-12.
Penn State Altoona attempted to rally, but two late kills from Swafford helped Johns Hopkins close out the set 25-18 and take a 2-0 lead.
Ebert opened the third set with two kills as Johns Hopkins moved in front 8-4. Penn State Altoona tied the score at 14-14 and later took a 19-18 lead, but the Blue Jays answered with a 7-2 run to complete the sweep.
Kinlan delivered the final kill in the 25-21 third-set victory. Johns Hopkins finished the match with a 3-0 win inside Goldfarb Gymnasium.
Statistical Leaders for Johns Hopkins
Swafford’s 16 kills led all players. Annika Anderson led Johns Hopkins with 21 assists, while Sherwood recorded a team-high four blocks.
Kinlan added eight kills, 12 digs and two aces. Nicole Tuszynski led the Blue Jays with 15 digs, and Overtoom contributed one ace.
Johns Hopkins Tournament Schedule
Johns Hopkins was scheduled to continue the Greg “Gio” Giovanazzi Memorial Tournament Saturday, Sept. 5. The Blue Jays were set to face UMass Boston at 10 a.m. and William Paterson at 4 p.m.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Johns Hopkins opened the season with a three-set victory after responding to early deficits in each set. Swafford led the attack with 16 kills, while Anderson, Sherwood, Kinlan and Tuszynski contributed across the major statistical categories.
The Blue Jays entered the tournament 1-0 with two matches scheduled for Saturday.
Source: Original report
