BALTIMORE, Md. - The Haverford College Volleyball team (9-10, 2-2 CC) fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-15) to third-ranked Johns Hopkins (19-2, 4-0 CC) in a Centennial Conference matchup at Goldfarb Gymnasium in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon.
Haverford was led by a trio of hitters, with Eliana Brown, Gia Frank, and Taylor Jones each tallying six kills. Kayla Chu recorded a team-best 10 assists, while fellow setter Cameryn DeBlecourt contributed two service aces. Kira Chaney notched 16 digs, and the Fords posted eight total team blocks, paced by Fiona Moord with five assisted blocks and one solo.
Johns Hopkins' Simone Adam delivered a game-high 13 kills on 27 swings, while Helena Swaak added 13 digs and 16 assists for the Blue Jays. Evelyn Batista stood out with nine service aces, and Brooklyn Pater contributed four blocks.
Haverford started strong in the first set, jumping out to a 5-0 lead behind a service ace from DeBlecourt and back-to-back kills from Brown and Frank. A block from Jones and Izabela Potocnjak extended the lead to 9-5, but Johns Hopkins quickly shifted the momentum, capitalizing on some Haverford errors with efficient hitting. The Blue Jays took a 15-11 lead after a kill from Simrin Carlsen. Haverford closed the gap to 19-17 following a 3-1 spurt sparked by kills from Potocnjak and Chu, but a 6-0 run secured a 25-17 win for Johns Hopkins in the first set.
In the second set, Adam was a key contributor with six kills. Jones and Caroline Lucas worked to keep the Fords in contention with timely blocks and kills late in the frame, but the Blue Jays opened up a 14-3 lead after a block from Chidinma Onukwugha and Adam. Despite a late rally, highlighted by a kill from Brown and a service ace from DeBlecourt that trimmed the deficit to 20-12, Haverford fell 25-18.
The third set saw Johns Hopkins continue their strong attack, racing to a 14-4 lead with Adam and Onukwugha contributing back-to-back kills after teaming up for a block. Batista's four consecutive service aces punctuated the early run as Haverford struggled to find consistency. Kills from Jones and Brown cut the deficit to 17-9, but the Blue Jays extended their lead to 24-14 with a Carlsen kill and a block from Chiakpo and Pater, sealing the 25-15 victory.
The defeat marks Haverford's second loss in Centennial Conference play. The Fords will look to bounce back against Bryn Mawr on Wednesday, October 23, at 7 p.m. in Gooding '84 Arena for the annual Faculty/Staff Appreciation Match.