HAVERFORD, Pa. — The Haverford College volleyball team threw a block party Wednesday night at Gooding '84 Arena, turning a dominant performance at the net into a second consecutive trip to the Centennial Conference semifinals. Led by Fiona Moord's career-high 11 blocks, the fourth-seeded Fords swept fifth-seeded Dickinson, 25-15, 25-23, 25-12, in a Centennial Conference Tournament first-round matchup. Haverford improved to 17-7 overall, while the Red Devils concluded their season at 17-10.
The Scarlet and Black will travel to top-seeded Franklin & Marshall for Friday's semifinal round (7 p.m.) continuing their pursuit of a conference championship after eliminating Dickinson in the opening round for the second straight season.
Moord delivered an outstanding all-around effort, pairing her 11 blocks with 11 kills on just 19 swings. The junior committed only one attacking error to hit .526, finishing with a match-high 18 points. Her blocking total included three solo rejections and eight block assists, surpassing her previous career best of 10. Haverford finished with 16 team blocks, limiting Dickinson to a .000 hitting percentage with 25 kills and 25 attacking errors. According to the program's published record book, Moord's 11 blocks and Haverford's 16 team blocks were each the most in a three-set match since Sept. 13, 2006, at Eastern.
Elizabeth Cella matched Moord with 11 kills, adding six digs, three block assists and the match-clinching service ace. Anna Krotky Koeppe registered a double-double with 26 assists and a team-high 12 digs, contributing two kills and two block assists. Lolly Adair supplied five block assists, while Gia Frank and Marlee Hills each added four. Frank also delivered a match-high three service aces, providing timely runs from the service line throughout the evening. Kira Chaney collected 10 digs, with Sierra Lever adding six and Heejin Kim contributing five.
The Fords established their presence at the net immediately, recording seven blocks in the opening frame while hitting .417 with 11 kills against just one error. After Dickinson pulled within 7-6, Frank sparked a five-point run with a kill and consecutive service aces. Moord followed with a solo rejection before teaming with Hills for another block, stretching the advantage to 12-6.
Haverford continued to build its cushion, moving ahead 15-7 when Cella and Moord combined to turn away a Dickinson attack. The Red Devils could not draw closer than seven the rest of the way. Moord supplied kills for Haverford's 23rd and 24th points before joining Krotky Koeppe on a block to finish the set, 25-15.Dickinson offered its strongest response in the second, using a three-point run to take a 10-7 lead. Haverford answered with a Moord kill, a Lever ace and a Moord solo block to pull even, but the visitors regained control and eventually extended their advantage to 18-14.
Coming out of a timeout, the Fords again leaned on their blocking. Hills and Adair combined for one rejection, and Frank and Moord followed with another to cut the deficit in half. With Dickinson still ahead 19-16, Moord put away a kill to begin a decisive six-point surge. Hills delivered consecutive kills to tie the score before Frank served an ace for a 20-19 Haverford lead. Two Dickinson attacking errors pushed the margin to 22-19.
The Fords reached set point at 24-20, but Dickinson fought off three opportunities to close within one. Moord provided the answer, finishing a set from Krotky Koeppe to secure the 25-23 victory. Haverford carried that momentum into the third. After Dickinson trimmed an early deficit to 8-7, Moord contributed two kills and a shared block during a four-point response.
The decisive separation came with Haverford leading 12-9. A Chaney kill started a seven-point run, with Lever serving the next six points. Moord participated in three blocks during the stretch and added a kill as the Fords surged ahead 19-9. Cella then supplied three consecutive Haverford points on kills to make it 22-10. The sophomore added another kill to bring up match point before serving an ace to complete the sweep.
The Fords held Dickinson to five kills and 12 attacking errors in the final set, posting six more blocks while hitting .333 themselves. Mallie Thomas paced Dickinson with 10 kills and 12 digs. Caroline Cusson totaled four blocks, while Lora Flynn distributed 15 assists.
Haverford finished with advantages in kills (32-25), digs (44-36) and blocks (16-5), setting up Friday's trip to Lancaster to face the top-seeded Diplomats.
