YORK, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (18-8) secured two victories Saturday, concluding its regular season with a pair of non-conference wins at the York (Pa.) Tri-Match. Haverford swept host York (9-17), 3-0, before defeating Misericordia, 3-1, in a neutral-site match with the Cougars.
Haverford 3, York 0
In the day's opening match, Haverford defeated York (Pa.) with set scores of 25-10, 25-18, and 25-13. The Fords posted a .263 hitting percentage as a team while holding the Spartans to a -.093 mark.
Eliana Brown led the Fords with eight kills and eight digs. Fiona Moord and Elizabeth Cella each contributed seven kills. Moord hit .600 for the match and added two block assists. Cameryn DeBlecourt recorded 16 assists, seven digs, and three service aces, while Dasha Igonin added 11 assists.
Haverford set the tone in the first set with a 6-0 run on Kayla Chu's serve to take a 9-2 lead as York committed five consecutive attack errors. Later, Dasha Igonin toed the service line for another 6-0 stretch, pushing the advantage to 22-7 as the Fords took full control of the frame. Eliana Brown finished the set with a kill.
The second set was tighter, with York within two at 12-10 early. A 4-0 run on Kira Chaney's serve, capped by a kill from Izabela Potocnjak, gave the Fords a 17-10 lead they would not relinquish. Despite a late challenge from the hosts to get within six, Haverford won the set 25-18 on a York service error.
The Fords left no doubt in the third set, jumping out to a 13-2 lead behind an 11-0 service run from Igonin. DeBlecourt later served five straight points, including three consecutive aces, to make it 23-10 as the visitors cruised to a 25-13 victory.
Brown led the Fords with eight kills and eight digs. Moord and Cella each contributed seven kills. Moord hit a stellar .600 for the match with two blocks. DeBlecourt recorded 16 assists, seven digs, and three aces, while Igonin added 11 assists and one ace.
Haverford 3, Misericordia 1
Against Misericordia (20-9), Haverford won in four sets (25-20, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21), taking down the leaders of the MAC Freedom Conference.
After falling behind 4-0 in the first set, Haverford responded with a strong 8-0 run on DeBlecourt's serve to take a 14-8 lead. The Fords maintained the advantage despite each team trading short runs down the stretch, taking the set 25-20.
The Fords again used a massive run from DeBlecourt in the second set. With the score tied 10-10, Haverford rattled off 10 consecutive points on her serve, including three aces from the senior, to build an insurmountable 20-11 lead. A kill from Gia Frank eventually sealed the 25-16 win.
Misericordia battled back to win a tight third set, 25-23, surviving a 14-8 deficit. In the fourth, Misericordia took an early 7-2 lead. Haverford answered with a 5-0 run on Brown's service turn, featuring two blocks with Maggie Turner teaming up with Frank and Cella to tie the set at 7-7.
The Fords eventually built a 19-13 lead behind a 4-0 spurt, but Misericordia cut it to 23-21. A block by Moord and Potocnjak set up match point, and Moord ended it 25-21 with a kill, sending the Fords into the postseason in style.
Frank finished with 12 kills on .308 hitting and was a force at the net with five total blocks, including two solo. Cella registered a double-double with 12 kills and 16 digs, while Brown also posted a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs.
The Fords tallied 11 total team blocks. Turner contributed six block assists to go with five kills.
Setting duties were split between DeBlecourt and Chu, who finished with 18 assists apiece. DeBlecourt added 10 digs and a career-high seven service aces. Cella added 16 digs, while Chaney led the back row with 15.
Haverford has secured the third seed in the upcoming Centennial Conference Volleyball Championships, which will open on Wednesday, November 12, at Gooding Arena as the Fords face sixth-seeded Dickinson. More information about the tournament, with Haverford hosting a first-round contest for the first time since 2019, will be determined during Monday's pre-championship conference calls.
