BALTIMORE, Md. – The Haverford College volleyball team saw its six-match winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon, falling to Johns Hopkins in four sets (16-25, 25-18, 21-25, 21-25) in Centennial Conference action at Goldfarb Gymnasium. The Fords (16-4, 7-2 CC), who defeated the Blue Jays on Senior Day a season ago, battled back to even the match after dropping the opening set but could not complete the comeback against a Johns Hopkins squad that improved to 14-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play.
Sophomore Elizabeth Cella paced the Haverford attack with a match-high 13 kills, adding five digs, two block assists and a service ace. Gia Frank contributed nine kills on a .231 hitting percentage while adding five blocks, and Fiona Moord delivered seven kills on a team-best .278 hitting percentage to go along with an impressive nine total blocks, including two solo stops. The Fords held a 13-10 advantage in total blocks, but Johns Hopkins used nine service aces and a 48-35 edge in kills to secure the four-set victory.
Haverford struggled to establish its offensive rhythm in the opening set, as the Blue Jays, a team receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll, raced out to a 10-3 advantage behind a serving run from Ivy Swafford. Johns Hopkins extended its lead to 23-10 before the Fords put together a late four-point surge, highlighted by a Frank service ace and a block from Moord and Anna Krotky Koeppe. Cella added a kill to fend off another set point, but the Blue Jays closed out the frame, 25-16. The Scarlet and Black responded with their strongest offensive performance of the afternoon in the second set. After falling behind 2-0, Haverford used consecutive kills from Frank and Cella, along with a block by Frank and Maggie Turner, to take an early 4-2 advantage.
The teams continued to trade points before the Fords broke a 12-12 deadlock with three consecutive points, capped by a service ace from Kira Chaney. Johns Hopkins trimmed the deficit to 17-15, but Haverford answered with another three-point run, featuring a Moord kill and a block by Moord and Krotky Koeppe. Cella delivered two more kills down the stretch, and Frank put the finishing touches on the 25-18 set victory to pull the Fords even at one set apiece. Haverford recorded 12 kills against just four attacking errors in the frame, hitting .205 while limiting Johns Hopkins to a .048 hitting percentage.
The Blue Jays regained control in the third set, building a 21-14 advantage before Haverford began to chip away at the deficit. A block from Charlotte Dziki and Moord, followed by a Johns Hopkins attacking error, brought the Fords within five at 21-16. Cella and Dziki added kills as Haverford continued its late push, and consecutive blocks and attacking errors helped the Fords close within 24-21. Johns Hopkins ultimately held on for the 25-21 victory, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set proved to be the most competitive of the afternoon, featuring 13 ties and five lead changes as the two sides battled for control. Neither team could establish a comfortable cushion, with Haverford answering each Johns Hopkins push throughout the frame. Trailing 17-16, the Fords received a kill from Frank to draw even before another Frank finish gave Haverford an 18-17 advantage. Johns Hopkins responded to move ahead 19-18, but Frank again came through with a kill to level the score
With the set tied at 20-20, Moord delivered a solo block to put the Scarlet and Black in front, 21-20, and move Haverford within four points of forcing a decisive fifth set. The Blue Jays, however, answered with five consecutive points to close out the 25-21 victory and secure the match. Defensively, Chaney anchored the Fords with 19 digs while contributing six assists and a service ace. Sierra Lever added nine digs and a service ace, while Krotky Koeppe directed the Haverford offense with 25 assists, seven digs and two block assists. Moord's nine blocks led the way at the net, with Frank adding five block assists and Turner contributing four. Haverford finished with 53 digs and five service aces in the contest.
Johns Hopkins was led by Swafford, who finished with nine kills, 18 digs and four service aces. Celine Ebert also recorded nine kills, while Annika Anderson and Sami Hockers distributed 19 and 20 assists, respectively.
With a Centennial Conference Tournament berth already secured, Haverford will now turn its attention to the conference finale against Hood Trophy rival Swarthmore on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. in Swarthmore, Pa. The matchup will conclude the Fords' conference schedule ahead of Saturday's Tri-Match with Batten and William Smith inside Gooding Arena.
