HAVERFORD, Pa. - Backed by a raucous Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night crowd inside Gooding Arena, the Haverford College volleyball team (16-8, 7-3 CC) continued its strong finish to the regular season with a sweep of rival Swarthmore, 30-28, 25-16, 25-16, in Centennial Conference action on Wednesday evening.

Junior Kira Chaney anchored the defense with a career-high-matching 29 digs, while sophomore Maggie Turner dominated at the net with a career-best eight total blocks as the Fords held the Garnet (17-9, 7-2 CC) to just a .055 hitting percentage across the match.

The victory also earned Haverford a crucial point in the annual Hood Trophy all-sports rivalry series with Swarthmore, currently holding a 3.5 to 2.5 advantage at the end of the fall slate. 

The opening set was a back-and-forth battle that saw 16 ties and five lead changes. Swarthmore jumped out to a 9-5 advantage before Haverford steadied itself behind kills from Elizabeth Cella and Fiona Moord and an ace from Izabela Potocnjak to even things up at 9-9.

Neither side could separate late, as Cella, Eliana Brown, and Gia Frank answered Swarthmore's surges point-for-point. Down 25-24, the Fords fought off set point and survived two more before finally claiming the 30-28 win on Brown's second ace of the frame.

That emotional opener set the tone for the rest of the evening. Haverford carried the momentum into the second, seizing control midway through the set with a six-point surge capped by a Dasha Igonin ace and a Cella kill as the Fords were in command up 17-10.

Brown and Moord each added kills during the run as the Fords' block frustrated Swarthmore's attack. Haverford cruised to a 25-16 win to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

In the third, the Fords blocking effort completely took over. Turner and Frank combined to lead the charge in the frame, helping Haverford post nine team blocks in the clincher alone.

The defense forced 12 Garnet attack errors, while Cella continued to find seams in the Swarthmore defense, finishing with a team-high 13 kills. Brown added nine, and Frank chipped in six as the Fords once again used a mid-set burst to pull away and seal the sweep, 25-16.

Cameryn DeBlecourt (14 assists, 11 digs) and Kayla Chu (16 assists, six digs) guided a balanced offense, while Moord totaled six kills and three blocks in support.

Keira Miles paced Swarthmore with 10 kills against just five errors while reigning Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year Melissa Eyer Eyer had 21 digs for the Garnet.

Haverford has now captured two straight against the Garnet after a five-set thriller in the regular season finale in 2024. The Fords will head out on the road Saturday, making the jaunt to York for a tri-match with contests against the host Spartans at 11 a.m. and the Misericordia Cougars at 1 p.m. as non-conference action wraps up the regular season slate.

Haverford, assured of a postseason berth, will learn of its opponent and location in the Centennial Conference Tournament as determined by Saturday's action around the Centennial.