SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College volleyball team dropped its first conference game of the season in a battle of the unbeatens against No. 3 Johns Hopkins University, 3-1, on Saturday afternoon. The Garnet dropped to second place in the Centennial standings with a 7-1 conference record. 

Alexia Enache totaled 15 kills to headline Swarthmore's attack, while Isabel Adam had 12 kills with a .320 hitting percentage. Emily Sun also tallied a game-high 27 assists to pace the offense.

Melissa Eyer had another stellar performance with a game-high 20 digs, while Hannah Humphreys was a force in front of the net with a game-high four blocks.

SWARTHMORE 1, JOHN HOPKINS 3
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Enache tallied three kills early in the opening set, but the Blue Jays led the way with a 10-5 lead to start the match. Following a Swarthmore timeout, the Garnet locked in with a 10-8 run to pull within two points. The Garnet then used a 6-0 run to gain its first lead and pull ahead by four points. Swarthmore took advantage of four-straight Hopkins errors during the run, while Eyer added a service ace and Angelina Heminway closed the point streak with a kill, 21-17. The Garnet maintained their lead for the remainder of the set with Enache clinching victory with a kill, 25-21. 

- Swarthmore carried momentum from an electric opening set victory as they raced out to a 10-6 start to prompt the Blue Jays to burn an early timeout. The Garnet rallied for five-straight points to take a seven-point advantage, but were unable to hold off the Blue Jays, who slowly chipped away at their deficit. Hopkins took a late two-point advantage after putting together four-straight points. The Blue Jays then clinched the tying set on a kill, 25-23.

- Johns Hopkins took a 5-1 lead to open a crucial third set. However, the Garnet kept the game within striking distance as they eventually took the lead with four-straight points, 13-12. Enache added a pair of kills during the team's surge, while Keira Miles provided another tally. The Blue Jays altered momentum with a 9-1 swing to build a seven-point cushion, 22-15. Swarthmore refused to back down as they used a 5-1 run to pull within three, but were unable to complete the comeback as the Blue Jays closed with consecutive points, 25-20.

- Swarthmore quickly jumped on the Blue Jays with seven-unanswered points to take a 10-4 lead. Adam rallied for three-straight kills during the stretch, while Humphreys added a tally. Swarthmore maintained its lead against Hopkins until the visitors rallied for a 7-1 run to take the lead. The Garnet would tie the game on a service error, before the Blue Jays reestablished their lead with three-unanswered points. Swarthmore was unable to regain momentum as they dropped the final set 25-20.

GARNET LEADERS
Kills: Enache 15
Aces: Mountcastle, Enache, Eyer 2
Blocks: Humphreys 4
Assists: Sun 27
Digs: Eyer 20

UP NEXT
The Garnet (15-8, 7-1) wrap up the final week of the regular season against Washington College on Wednesday, before closing with Haverford College on Saturday.