HAVERFORD, Pa. — Haverford closed its regular season Saturday with two hard-fought matches at Gooding '84 Arena, rallying from a two-set deficit against No. 21 Batten before falling in five, then pushing William Smith through a 30-28 third set in a four-set loss.The Fords (16-7) finished the day with a combined 98 kills.
Elizabeth Cella led the way with 45 kills across the two matches, including 26 against Batten and 19 against William Smith. Cella also added 33 digs, while Fiona Moord contributed 17 kills and 12 blocks on the day.
The contests also represented Haverford's Mental Health Awareness Matches in conjunction with The Hidden Opponent, an organization that advocates for student-athlete mental health on college campuses.Â
No. 21 Batten 3, Haverford 2
Haverford nearly completed its comeback against Batten (23-4), winning the third and fourth sets before the Marlins prevailed, 25-20, 26-24, 23-25, 21-25, 15-13. The Fords kept the opening set close, taking a 17-16 lead after consecutive points. Batten answered with three straight to regain the advantage, then used kills from Hannah Smith to reach set point before a block closed out the 25-20 win.
Batten built a 16-10 lead in the second, but Haverford steadily chipped away. The Fords pulled within 20-18, then Cella sparked a late rally with three kills as Haverford erased a 23-20 deficit and tied the score at 23. Smith briefly put Batten back in front, but Cella answered to make it 24-24. The Marlins then finished the set with consecutive kills for a 26-24 decision. Facing a two-set deficit, Haverford came out with renewed energy in the third, opening a 5-1 lead. Batten rallied to take a 14-13 advantage, but the Fords continued to answer, moving ahead 22-20 on a Frank kill. The Marlins tied it at 23 before Moord's kill and a Moord-Cella block gave Haverford the 25-23 win.
The Fords carried that momentum into the fourth. Batten stayed within a point at 21-20, but Cella and Frank followed with kills, and a Marlins attack error completed the 25-21 Haverford victory. Batten jumped ahead 4-0 in the deciding set and extended its lead to 9-4. Haverford began its rally with Cella's kill, then consecutive Batten attack errors brought the Fords even at 10. A five-point run served by Rachel Cohrs put Haverford ahead, 12-10. Batten responded to tie the set, and after Anna Krotky Koeppe's kill gave the Fords a 13-12 lead, the Marlins scored the final three points to take the match.
Cella's whopping 26 kills and 16 digs led Haverford. Frank added 14 kills and seven digs, while Kira Chaney recorded a match-high 35 digs. Moord had nine kills and five block assists. The Fords held advantages in blocks, 12-9, and digs, 98-89.
(RV) William Smith 3, Haverford 1
The second match brought another dramatic third set, as Haverford rallied from a late collapse to take a 30-28 win. William Smith (18-6) held on in the other sets for a 25-23, 25-21, 28-30, 25-20 victory. The teams traded points early in the opening set before Haverford pulled level at 11-11. William Smith created separation with a five-point run to lead 16-11, but the Fords fought back to tie the score at 16. The Herons again built a cushion late, and Haverford's rally came up short as William Smith closed out the set, 25-23.
Haverford started the second set quickly, building a 6-1 lead behind Julie Xu's serving and kills from Cella and Lolly Adair. William Smith answered with six straight points to tie it at 7-7, and the teams continued trading runs. The Fords drew level at 17-17, but the Herons scored four consecutive points to take control and went on to win, 25-21. Haverford looked poised to even the match in the third, turning a 4-4 tie into an 11-4 advantage. The Fords led 15-9 before William Smith began to close the gap. Haverford rebuilt its cushion to 23-15, but the Herons scored eight straight points to tie it at 23.
The tense finish continued point for point. Haverford fought off set point and Cella's service ace helped put the Fords ahead, 25-24. After William Smith tied it, the teams exchanged points until the score reached 28-28. Haverford then got a William Smith attack error and a block from Moord and Adair to secure the 30-28 win The Herons took an early lead in the fourth and kept Haverford at arm's length. The Fords closed within 18-17 on a Moord kill, but William Smith answered. Charlotte Dziki's kill made it 23-20 before the Herons scored the final two points to end the match, 25-20.
Cella finished with 19 kills and 17 digs against William Smith. Moord added eight kills and seven blocks, Krotky Koeppe handed out 37 assists, and Dziki chipped in eight kills.
The fourth-seeded Fords will now turn their attention to postseason play, with Haverford set to make its fourth straight Centennial Conference Tournament appearance, hosting fifth-seeded Dickinson in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Game time will be determined during Monday's conference call with the CC office and participating teams.
