Haverford College

GLASSBORO, N.J. – The Haverford College volleyball team showed plenty of resiliency in a marathon opening set, but host Rowan eventually prevailed in a 32-30, 25-20, 25-18 decision Saturday afternoon at Esby Gym in Glassboro. The setback moved the Fords to 6-2 on the season, while Rowan improved to 7-2.

Elizabeth Cella continued her torrid start to the season, as the the reigning back-to-back Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week led all players with 17 kills while adding a match-high five service aces and seven digs. 

The opening set proved to be a back-and-forth battle featuring 18 ties and nine lead changes. Haverford jumped out to an early 7-4 advantage behind consecutive Cella aces and kills from Gia Frank, Marlee Hills and Cella. Rowan eventually moved in front, but the Fords responded with three straight Cella kills to turn a 16-14 deficit into a 17-16 advantage.

Haverford continued to surge, with back-to-back Dasha Igonin aces extending the lead to 20-17 before another Cella kill and consecutive Rowan attack errors pushed the advantage to 23-18. The Profs refused to go away, answering with five consecutive points to pull even at 23-23.

From there, the Fords repeatedly answered under pressure. Fiona Moord delivered a kill for a 25-24 edge, Hills later evened the frame at 26-26, and a Cella-Moord block gave Haverford another set-point opportunity at 27-26. 

Haverford again fought off Rowan advantages at 28-27, 29-28 and 30-29 before the Profs finally strung together the final two points to escape with a 32-30 victory. Cella produced seven kills in the opening frame, while Haverford hit .213 as a team.

The Fords again battled Rowan throughout the second set. After falling behind 5-4, Haverford used an Igonin ace and a Maggie Turner-Gia Frank block to build an 8-5 advantage. Rowan responded and eventually opened a 16-12 lead, but Haverford continued to hang around. Cella supplied three kills during a late push and followed with a service ace that trimmed the deficit to 20-19. Rowan answered with five of the final six points to take the frame, 25-20.

The Fords came out quickly in the third, with Sierra Lever delivering consecutive aces as the Fords opened a 2-0 advantage. Cella helped extend the lead to 10-6 with two early kills and a service ace, but Rowan responded with a 7-1 run to move ahead 13-11. Haverford pulled within two at 16-14 following a Moord kill, but the Profs created separation down the stretch and closed out the match with a 25-18 third-set victory.

Hills added six kills and three digs, while Moord finished with four kills and two blocks. Anna Krotky Koeppe handed out a team-high 14 assists, with Igonin contributing 10 assists, five digs and three service aces. Kira Chaney led the Haverford defense with nine digs, while Sierra Lever added eight. Rowan finished with 43 kills and a .262 hitting percentage, while Haverford totaled 33 kills and nine service aces. 

Abigail Chadwick paced the Profs with 14 kills, while Gabriella Cooper collected a match-high 20 digs.

The Fords continue next continue the non-conference slate on Wednesday, Sept. 23, returning home to Gooding '84 Arena for a matchup against Elizabethtown. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and it will be Play With Pride night, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community within collegiate athletics.