Erica Johnston, Johns Hopkins
BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays upset the Haverford Fords in four sets today after falling in the first set 27-25.
In the first set the Jays (13-10, 4-2 CC) got up early, and led for most of the set, including a 19-12 advantage. But from there it was all downhill for the Jays, as unforced hitting errors and Haverford's own attack brought the Fords (16-8, 6-1 CC) back in the match, tying the game at 22. The teams traded points after that, with each committing hitting errors to keep the other alive. Following a Liz Wuerstle kill that tied the set at 25, a Hopkins hitting error and a block by Kaylynn Mayo and Meagan MacPhee ended the set, 27-25.
The second set was tight from the get-go with each team trading points early before Haverford began to show signs of pulling away. A nice 5-0 run was capped off by a Keri Godbe kill, bringing the score to 15-10. But the Jays were resilient and went on a 9-0 run, led by four Wuerstle kills. But much like the first set, the Fords stayed tough and got the game within a point following a Hopkins hitting error. But after two hitting errors and a ball handling error the set was over and Hopkins escaped with a 25-21 win.
In the third set the Jays came out strong, getting ahead 10-5, then using kills by Erica Johnston, Mereze Visagie and Kristi Rhead and some timely blocks by Rhead and Wuerstle to get the score to 19-13. After some miscues the Jays got some help from the Fords and finished the match with a win 25-20.
Wuerstle seemed determined to make the fourth set a quick one, hammering home four kills in the Jays first seven points, leading the Jays to a 7-2 start. After some hitting errors, the Fords climbed back into it to a score of 9-8. From there, the Jays went on a nice run, using kills from Rhead and Ally Hirsch, along with some hitting errors from the away team to take a commanding 17-13 win. After a Hirsch error and kills by MacPhee, Elena Garcia, Mayo and Godbe, the Fords took a 19-18 lead. But after a Fords hitting error Johnston took matters into her own hands and slammed home four kills in the game ending 6-0 run for the Jays.
The Blue Jays are back in action Wednesday, as they play host to Dickinson. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.