BALTIMORE – The Haverford College volleyball team jumped out to a first set victory against No. 15 Johns Hopkins, but the host Blue Jays were able to hold on in four sets, pulling out a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-14, 25-17, 25-17). Natalie Pisch led the Haverford attack with nine kills on 22 total swings while Julia Gallagher-Teske notched six total blocks in the match. Haverford falls to 5-11 (0-3 CC) in defeat while the Blue Jays pulled their unblemished record to 13-0 (4-0 CC).
The first set saw the Fords come out of the gates on a 7-3 run, buoyed by a 5-0 jaunt with Sara Matsumura on the service line. The Fords and Blue Jays were deadlocked at 19-19 following a Kendall Robison service ace. Johns Hopkins went ahead 22-20 with a Lauren Anthony block, but a kill from Sara Hunsberger and a service ace from Isabel Schwam deadlocked the score at 22-22. The Fords notched the final three points of the set with Schwam at the sevice line, as a solo block from Dina Kosyagin ended things in favor of Haverford.
The Blue Jays were strong in the second set, firing back with a 16-8 run and holding on for a 25-14 win. The third saw the Fords take an 11-10 lead behind a Claire Nicholas kill, but an 8-1 run gave the hosts some breathing room, as the Blue Jays pulled to a 20-14 advantage. Haverford cut the lead to four at 21-17, but Michelle Abt delivered kills for three of the final four points to put Johns Hopkins on the brink of match victory with a 25-17 set win.
The fourth started promising for the visitors, as Haverford went ahead 7-3 thanks in part to a 5-0 swing with Elena Filograna at the service line. The Blue Jays battled back to tie the score at 10-10 and eventually turned that tie into a 16-13 advantage, prompting a Fords timeout. A Pisch kill brought Haverford back within one at 17-16, but Morgan Wu proved to be a formidable presence at the service line, keeping Johns Hopkins undefeated on the season with a 6-0 run that put the result out of doubt. Robison fended off set point at 24-16, but the next Haverford attack went long to seal the match for the hosts.
Hunsberger had a solid outing at setter for the Fords, with 20 assists. Matsumura had double-digit digs yet again, reaching double-digits in each match so far this season. Robison delivered a trio of service aces for the Fords.
The Fords now return home for a Wednesday Centennial Conference contest against Ursinus. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside Gooding '84 Arena.