LANCASTER, Pa. – The fourth-seeded Haverford College volleyball team (17-8) saw its Centennial Conference Tournament run come to an end Friday evening, falling to top-seeded Franklin & Marshall (18-6) in four sets at the Mayser Center in Lancaster.
The Fords established an early advantage in the opening frame before the Diplomats mounted a late comeback to snatch away the set, securing a 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 25-19 victory. Haverford responded with a determined third-set performance to extend the semifinal, but Franklin & Marshall regained control in the fourth to advance to Sunday's final.
Elizabeth Cella tied for the team lead with 15 kills and added 10 digs, recording a double-double in the finale. Gia Frank delivered an efficient offensive performance, finishing with 15 kills on 29 attempts with just three errors for a .414 hitting percentage. Fiona Moord added 13 kills on .345 hitting, giving Haverford three players with double-digit kills.
Kira Chaney anchored the back row with a match-high 31 digs, while Anna Krotky Koeppe directed the offense with 41 assists and 13 digs for a double-double of her own. Heejin Kim contributed 16 digs, and Sierra Lever added 13 as Haverford finished with 94 digs on the evening.
The Fords opened the evening with an impressive start, immediately putting pressure on the top-seeded Diplomats. Krotky Koeppe delivered a kill on the opening point before Julie Xu stepped to the service line and helped Haverford build a 5-0 advantage. Xu recorded a service ace during the run, while Cella provided an early kill.
Haverford continued to control the frame, extending its lead to 15-8 behind the offensive contributions of Cella, Moord and Frank. The Diplomats began to chip away, but the Scarlet and Black responded with consecutive points to move ahead 21-14, including a block from Cella and Moord. After Franklin & Marshall trimmed the deficit to five, Moord delivered a kill to make it 22-16, putting Haverford within three points of claiming the opening set. The Diplomats then produced the decisive run of the frame. Behind the serving of Mia Mascherino, Franklin & Marshall scored nine consecutive points, erasing the six-point deficit and completing the comeback with a 25-22 victory. Ceci Connolly and Melissa Benkowitz provided important kills during the surge, while the hosts capitalized on several Haverford attack errors to seize the early momentum.
Franklin & Marshall carried that momentum into the second set, establishing a 12-7 advantage behind the offensive production of Connolly and Mascherino. Haverford continued to battle, with Moord delivering several timely finishes, but the Diplomats created further separation with a five-point run behind the serving of Abby Silinski. Silinski recorded consecutive service aces during the stretch, helping Franklin & Marshall extend its advantage to 22-11. Cella, Frank and Moord contributed late kills for Haverford, but Connolly secured the final point in a 25-16 victory.
Facing elimination, Haverford responded with its strongest stretch of the evening in the third set. Franklin & Marshall opened the frame with three consecutive points, but Frank delivered back-to-back kills to help the Fords settle into the contest. Cella then sparked a four-point run that gave Haverford an 8-6 advantage, with Xu contributing another perfectly-placed service ace.
The Diplomats answered to even the score at eight, but consecutive kills from Frank helped Haverford regain control. The Fords extended their advantage to 16-13 before Franklin & Marshall rallied to tie the frame at 17. Moord answered with a kill to restore Haverford's lead, and consecutive finishes from Cella pushed the Scarlet and Black ahead 21-17. Franklin & Marshall trimmed the deficit to 21-19, but Frank delivered another kill before Marlee Hills provided a crucial finish to give Haverford set point at 24-21.
Mascherino kept the Diplomats alive with a kill, but a Connolly attack error secured the 25-22 victory for Haverford, extending the match to a fourth set. The Fords finished with 16 kills in the frame, hitting .224, while Frank recorded seven kills to lead the offensive effort. Franklin & Marshall responded quickly in the fourth, opening with four consecutive points before extending its advantage to 8-1. Haverford began to chip away, with Moord delivering three consecutive kills to bring the Fords within 8-5, but the Diplomats answered with another run.
The hosts eventually moved ahead 24-18, putting themselves within a point of securing the match. Haverford refused to go quietly, using a Frank kill to trim the deficit to 24-19, but Connolly delivered the final kill to close out the 25-19 victory. Connolly paced Franklin & Marshall with a match-high 24 kills on .385 hitting, while Mascherino contributed 12 kills and 18 digs. Benkowitz added 12 kills and 25 digs as the Diplomats finished with 67 kills and a .258 hitting percentage, compared to 50 kills and .174 hitting for Haverford.
Despite the semifinal setback, Haverford concluded another strong season under head coach Drew Hargrave, finishing with 17 victories and a 7-3 Centennial Conference record. The Fords secured the fourth seed in the conference tournament and swept fifth-seeded Dickinson in Wednesday's first round to advance to the semifinals for the second consecutive season.
The campaign featured several standout individual performances, highlighted by Cella's First Team All-Centennial selection and three conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. The sophomore established a Haverford rally-scoring record with 30 kills in a four-set victory at Ursinus, while Chaney surpassed 1,000 career digs and earned Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week recognition.
With another postseason run, the Fords closed the 2026 campaign having reached consecutive Centennial Conference semifinals, continuing their presence among the conference's top programs. Haverford will now await Tuesday's All-Conference awards release (2 p.m.).
