GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (12-6, 3-2 CC) was upended by homestanding Gettysburg (13-8, 2-2 CC) in a tense three-set match at Bream Gymnasium on Saturday, as the Bullets prevailed with set scores of 25-23, 26-24, 26-24.
Out of the gates, the host Bullets opened on a 5-1 run before Elizabeth Cella halted the stretch with an emphatic kill. Haverford continued to struggle in the early going as Gettysburg surged to a commanding 13-4 lead. The Fords fought back midway through the set, rallying with a series of impactful plays. Trailing 22-13, Haverford unleashed a huge run with Cameryn DeBlecourt at the service line. DeBlecourt delivered consecutive aces and forced Bullets errors, bringing the Fords right back into the thick of things at 22-20. Izabela Potocnjak and Eliana Brown added clutch kills down the stretch, but the Bullets closed the set with a decisive block from Ava Grall and Gianna Galli, securing the 25-23 win for the home side.
In the second set, Haverford grabbed early momentum with a kill from Potocnjak and kept the contest close through the opening exchanges. Despite trailing 5-2 after a service ace and attack error, the Fords responded with kills from Brown and Gia Frank, narrowing the deficit to one at 8-7. Midway through the set, Haverford's block looked sharp as Maggie Turner and Potocnjak combined to tie the score at 16, capping a 4-0 run. The Fords then surged ahead with a service ace from Kira Chaney, extending their lead to 22-19 following another Cella kill and an additional ace. As the set neared its conclusion, Haverford held a slim 23-21 advantage, but Gettysburg mounted a late rally, capitalizing on a service error and an attack error to edge out a 26-24 win in another tightly contested frame.
The third set began with Haverford facing an early 4-1 deficit. Despite a few service miscues, the Fords kept things close thanks to kills from Moord and a block by Turner and Brown, narrowing the gap to 8-7. As play progressed, Gettysburg extended its lead to 14-7, with Erin Gonzalez serving an ace and Alycen Radolovic adding key kills. Haverford responded with a 3-0 run to cut the deficit to 14-10, then mounted another 4-0 surge to pull within two at 17-15 as Dasha Igonin recorded a service ace. A ball-handling error from the hosts brought the Fords within one at 18-17, but a 3-0 Gettysburg burst restored some breathing room.
Undaunted, Haverford rallied to tie the score at 21-21 and again at 24-24 after a series of Gettysburg attack errors, highlighted by a Brown block. Moord and Potocnjak were crucial in the late stretch, with Moord narrowing the gap before Bullet miscues leveled the score. However, Gettysburg closed out the set with consecutive points, capped by an Emma Bradshaw kill to secure match point and the 26-24 victory.
Cella led Haverford with 14 kills on 36 attempts, posting a .306 hitting percentage and adding 11 digs for a double-double performance. Moord contributed nine kills with a .294 hitting mark, while Turner anchored the defense at the net with five total blocks to disrupt the Gettysburg attack. DeBlecourt effectively directed the offense with 16 assists and supported the defensive effort with seven digs.
For Gettysburg, Gonzalez paced the defense with 16 digs and added nine kills, while Nala Shearer was outstanding defensively, tallying 32 digs in the match. Radolovic topped the Bullets offensively with 13 kills and a block assist. Kendall Erpenbeck facilitated the attack with 23 assists and served two aces without committing a service error.
Up next, Haverford continues its Centennial Conference slate with a road matchup against Washington College on Wednesday, October 22 at 7 p.m. in Chestertown, Md.
