HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's volleyball team (6-5) dropped a midweek matchup to UC Santa Cruz (7-7) on Wednesday night inside Gooding '84 Arena. The Fords were defeated in straight sets, with scores of 25-22, 25-14, and 25-19.
Gia Frank led the Fords offense with 10 kills on 26 total attempts, while Eliana Brown contributed seven kills on 28 swings, and Izabela Potocnjak added five. Cameryn DeBlecourt paced the attack with 15 assists, while Kayla Chu chipped in with eight. Defensively, Kira Chaney anchored the back row with 15 digs. At the net, Fiona Moord led the blocking efforts with three total blocks, with other strong performances by Taylor Jones (two assisted, one solo), Frank (two total blocks), and Brown (two total blocks).
Santa Cruz took an early 4-1 lead, but the Fords rallied to tie the first set at 5-5 with a block from Jones and Caroline Lucas. However, a 5-0 run by the Banana Slugs extended their lead to 10-5 as Olly Gordon and Drew Bryant combined for a block. Haverford kept it close, pulling within two at 13-11 after a block by Frank and Moord. UCSC maintained its lead, but a service ace from DeBlecourt cut the deficit to 21-19. Potocnjak delivered a crucial kill out of a timeout, bringing the score to 24-22, but Gordon sealed the set for Santa Cruz with a kill on set point.
The second set remained tight early on, with the teams tied at 9-9. UCSC then went on a 10-1 run, prompting a Haverford timeout at 19-10. The Banana Slugs continued to build momentum, eventually taking a commanding 21-11 lead. Haverford showed signs of life with a kill from Potocnjak and a block from Jones, but UCSC closed out the set, winning 25-14.
In the third set, the Banana Slugs raced to a 12-2 advantage before Haverford started to chip away. Back-to-back kills from Jones and Brown, followed by a spirited service run from Brown, narrowed the gap to 19-14, forcing UCSC to call a timeout. The Fords kept things right within striking distance at 22-17 after another Brown kill, but UCSC reached match point after a Haverford attack error. A brief 2-0 spurt gave Haverford some hope, but a service error ended the match, securing the sweep for Santa Cruz.
Magley led the Banana Slugs with 11 kills, while Gordon, Lau, Kelly Ann Greene, and Gabia Paliulis combined for 26 kills. Michaela Augustine dished out a match-high 16 assists, and Anna Hospodar recorded a match-best 15 digs for the visitors.
This was Haverford's first matchup against the Banana Slugs since their September 21, 2019 meeting at the Arcadia Tournament, and represented UCSC's first visit to Gooding Arena.
Haverford will continue its homestand on Saturday with a doubleheader against Christopher Newport. The first match is set to begin at 11 a.m., followed by a second contest set for approximately 1:30 p.m.
