HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College volleyball team clawed its way back from a seven-point first-set deficit before grounding Eastern in a Friday night sweep, 26-24, 25-19, 25-16, at Gooding Arena. The victory improved the Fords to 6-1 on the season.
Fiona Moord was stellar on both sides of the net, putting down a match-high 13 kills against just two errors on 24 attacks for a .458 hitting percentage. Moord was equally disruptive defensively, contributing five total blocks as Haverford finished with 10 team blocks and limited Eastern to a .014 hitting percentage for the match.
The opening set required a major comeback from the Scarlet and Black. Eastern built a 15-8 advantage before Haverford began to chip away, with Moord providing four kills as the Fords worked the deficit down to 22-19. After Eastern pushed the margin back to 23-20, Moord delivered another kill before Anna Krotky Koeppe and Elizabeth Cella followed with consecutive finishes to level the set at 23-23.
Moord then put Haverford in front with a kill for a 24-23 advantage. Eastern fought off the first set point to tie the frame at 24, but Moord answered immediately with her ninth kill of the set before Cella slammed home the clinching point to complete the comeback, 26-24.  Moord was nearly unstoppable in the opening frame, hitting .667 with nine kills on 12 swings.
Haverford carried the momentum into the second set, jumping ahead 4-1 behind back-to-back Moord kills. Eastern eventually pulled even at 10-10, but the Fords answered and never surrendered the lead again.Â
With Haverford holding a 20-19 edge late in the frame, the defense took over. The Fords rattled off five consecutive points, with Moord contributing to blocks on three of the final four rallies as Haverford closed out a 25-19 victory.
The Fords left little doubt in the third. Moord opened the set with a kill, and Haverford quickly raced ahead 4-1 before stretching the advantage to 12-6. Cella helped put the match out of reach with three kills during another Scarlet and Black surge that made it 19-12.Â
The reigning Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week added a perfectly-placed service ace at 21-13 before Moord supplied Haverford's final kill of the evening at 24-16, with an Eastern attack error sealing the sweep on the ensuing point. Cella finished with nine kills, nine digs, two block assists and a service ace, while Krotky Koeppe provided an efficient all-around performance with five kills on eight attacks and 13 assists.Â
Dasha Igonin handed out a team-high 15 assists, and Maggie Turner added four kills without an error to go along with four blocks. Heejin Kim paced the back row with a match-high 18 digs, while Kira Chaney added 10 digs and two service aces. Haverford's defense proved decisive throughout the evening, holding Eastern to 25 kills against 23 attack errors while recording 10 total blocks.Â
After escaping the opening-set battle, the Fords held the Eagles to an even .000 hitting percentage in each of the final two frames.
The Fords return to action Saturday, traveling to Glassboro, N.J., for a noon non-conference matchup against Rowan. The trip to the Garden State marks Haverford's first competition outside Pennsylvania this season.
