BALTIMORE–For the third consecutive meeting, the Swarthmore College volleyball team pushed the 18th-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays to five sets, but were unable to come away with a win on Saturday, Oct. 14.

The rematch of the 2016 Centennial Conference Championship lived up to its billing with the Garnet falling by a 22-25, 25-27, 25-23, 25-21, 12-15 score in an instant classic. Sophomore Mehra den Braven led the team in kills and digs with 19 and 21, respectively, while Sarah Wallace recorded 14 and 20 in the respective categories. Sarah Girard was close behind with 19 digs and Malia Scott nearly achieved a double-double with 40 assists and nine digs. Alice Liu factored into six of the team's eight blocks on the afternoon and Guin Mesh notched three aces to lead Swarthmore.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair until a 3-0 run gave Hopkins a 16-13 lead and forced a Swarthmore timeout. The Garnet eventually came within one at 19-20, but were unable to deadlock the score. The visitors saved two set points before the Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead on a kill.

Swarthmore responded by taking seven of the first nine points to establish control early. The hosts responded in kind and evened the score at 10-10. Strong hitting by Wallace and den Braven helped propel the Garnet to a 23-18 advantage, right on the doorstep of a 1-1 tie. Hopkins took six consecutive points followed by two Swarthmore points to give the visitors a set point opportunity. The Blue Jays answered with a 3-0 run for a 2-0 advantage in sets.

Facing elimination, the Garnet rose to the challenge in a set that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. Late in the set, Hopkins threatened to sweep as it stood 23-20, two points away from victory. A service error gave Swarthmore serve and an ace by Mesh brought the team within one. Two attack errors and a kill from den Braven later, the visitors had cut their deficit in half.

Neither team hit particularly well in the fourth, but the Garnet did enough to take the set, capped off by a block from Liu and Bridget Scott. Swarthmore started off hot in the decisive frame with an early 7-2 advantage and the teams switched sides with the Garnet ahead by an 8-3 count. Trailing 7-10, Hopkins ran off five straight for its first lead at 11-10 and forced a Swarthmore timeout. The visitors regrouped with two straight points before the Blue Jays concluded the match on a 4-0 run.

The volleyball team remains on the road for a conference match at Washington College on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.