BALTIMORE, MD. – The Cortland women's volleyball team finished 2-1 at the Johns Hopkins Invitational, sweeping Eastern University before falling in four sets to the nationally fifth-ranked host Blue Jays.
 
Cortland (11-4) returns to action with a home dual match versus William Smith on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
 
Cortland opened Saturday's action with a 25-23, 25-18, 25-17 win over Eastern (8-5), an NCAA second-round team last year. The win marks the first for the Red Dragons versus the Eagles - Eastern won the previous meetings between the teams in 2023, 2022, 2009 and 2008.
 
Jennifer Koestner (Syosset) led the Red Dragons with 15 kills with only two errors in 26 attempts (.500) and tied for the team lead with three aces. Anna Lynch (Rochester/Our Lady of Mercy) posted nine kills with no errors in 12 attempts (.750) and shared the team lead with three blocks.
 
Alexa Guedez (Mamaroneck/Rye Neck), Kira Pirrera (Hauppauge/Smithtown West) and Anna Pilkey (Ballston Spa) each put down eight kills. Guedez added three blocks and Pilkey had 10 digs. Ryan Hinshaw (Aurora, IL/Joliet Catholic Academy) ended with 19 assists, three aces and seven digs, Samantha Rodriguez (Camarillo, CA/Adolfo Camarillo) had 16 assists and two aces, and Mikenzie Martens (Carthage) led the team with 22 digs.
 
Hanna Pringle led Eastern with 11 kills.
 
The first set was tied at 21-21 before two Guedez kills gave Cortland a two-point lead. Guedez also put down the set-clinching kill with the Red Dragons up 24-23. The Red Dragons took control of the second set with a 7-1 run to take a 13-6 lead, and Cortland never trailed in the third set. Cortland finished the match with a team .325 attack percentage (52 kills, 13 errors in 120 attempts).
 
Cortland won the opening set versus Johns Hopkins, 25-19, before the Blue Jays won the next three sets, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-19. Three Red Dragons posted double-figure kills. Koestner led the way with 18 kills and Pilkey and Guedez had 11 kills apiece. Guedez finished with a .360 attack percentage. Emma Reilly (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) had six kills, a .357 attack percentage and a team-high four blocks.
 
Hinshaw and Rodriguez totaled 22 and 20 assists, respectively. Martens scooped up 21 digs, followed by Pilkey with 11, and Pilkey and Guedez each served two aces.
 
Hopkins (12-2) was led by Simone Adam's 16 kills and Simrin Carlsen's 12 kills. The Blue Jays finished with a .315 team attack percentage compared to Cortland's .137 mark.
 
Cortland maintained at least a two-point lead in the first set from the 10-8 mark until the end. The Red Dragons were within a point at 13-12 in the second before the hosts went on a 7-2 run. Cortland led 8-3 early in the third and were only down 18-16 in the third before four straight points helped Hopkins take control. The fourth set was tied seven times, the last at 16-16, but Hopkins closed the match by winning nine of the last 12 points.