HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College volleyball team (6-7) dropped both matches of a doubleheader to visiting Christopher Newport (8-4) on Saturday afternoon inside Gooding '84 Arena. The Captains swept the first match, while the Fords managed to take a set in the second before falling in four sets.
Gia Frank led the Fords with 15 kills across both matches, while Eliana Brown (14) and Taylor Jones (10) also reached double digits in the category. Cameryn DeBlecourt added 28 assists, with Kayla Chu chipping in 22. Kira Chaney paced the defense with 29 digs, while Haverford tallied 17 total blocks, including nine from senior captain Taylor Jones, who notably notched her 300th career block during the first match.
Christopher Newport 3, Haverford 0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-20)
In the first match, the Fords came out strong, forcing an early CNU timeout after a 6-1 run sparked by Brown's serving. The Captains responded after the timeout, tying the score at 6-6. The teams exchanged points with little separation until a 3-1 CNU run prompted a Haverford timeout with the Fords trailing 12-9.
The Captains extended their lead to 15-11, but a kill from Frank narrowed the gap to three. A block by Jones and Izabela Potocnjak at 18-14, followed by back-to-back kills from Caroline Lucas and Kira Chaney, brought the Fords within two. However, CNU closed the set with four consecutive points, capped by a Megan James kill for a 25-18 victory.
The Captains started the second set with a 6-0 run. The Fords trimmed the lead to three following a block by Frank and Fiona Moord, but CNU regained control, stretching their lead to 13-5 after a service ace. Haverford fought back, pulling within two at 17-15 after a Frank kill, but a 3-0 run by the Captains forced another Fords timeout. Christopher Newport's firepower proved too much as they closed out the set, 25-18.
The third set saw a tight battle early, with the two squads tied 9-9 before Haverford surged to a 14-10 lead. The Captains, however, closed the gap to one and later used a methodical 9-0 run to flip the set in their favor at 22-16. Despite a 4-0 Haverford run, CNU closed the match with kills from Myla McIntyre and Macy Burk, securing the sweep with a 25-20 win.
Samantha Dorn led the Captains with 17 kills, while Alyssa Vitale contributed 42 assists.
Christopher Newport 3, Haverford 1 (26-24, 25-23, 24-26, 25-15)
The second match was a closer contest. In the first set, a strong start from the Captains forced a Haverford timeout down 12-6. The Fords responded, pulling within one at 15-14 and eventually tying the score at 16-16 with a block from Jones and Potocnjak. The set remained tight, tied at 19-19 and 20-20, but CNU grabbed a 24-21 lead. Haverford battled back to tie the set at 24-24, but consecutive kills from Burk and Alyssa Dozier gave the Captains the opening frame.
The second set mirrored the first, with the teams neck and neck early on. Christopher Newport opened a brief 13-9 lead, prompting a Haverford timeout. The Captains then extended their advantage to 18-10, but the Fords responded with a 5-0 run, forcing a CNU timeout. Haverford continued to chip away, pulling within one after a DeBlecourt service ace made it 20-19. Despite fending off two set points, a service error handed CNU the second set, 25-23.
Haverford fought back with a strong victory in the third set, which featured little separation between the teams in the early and middle run of play. Tied at 19-19, the Fords used a service run from Jones and a kill from Brown to prompt a CNU timeout at 24-22. The Captains pulled one back with a Vitale kill, but a Potocnjak kill and a Dorn error sealed the 26-24 set win for the Fords.
CNU regained momentum in the fourth set, righting the ship after opening with an 11-4 lead that expanded to 16-7. Haverford briefly closed the gap to five after a Chu service ace at 17-12, but the Captains answered with a 4-0 run to go up 21-12. Despite a powerful block from Jones and Brown, CNU finished the match with a block of their own, taking the set 25-15.
Haverford now returns to action on Saturday, September 28, at the Electric City Invite, hosted by the University of Scranton at the John Long Center. The Fords will face the Royals at 11 a.m., followed by a matchup against Wesleyan (Conn.) at approximately 3 p.m.
