HAVERFORD, Pa. – Haverford volleyball put together an impressive day at Gooding '84 Arena on Saturday, first outlasting Stevens in an epic five-set battle before returning to the court and sweeping Susquehanna to improve to 9-2 on the season. The Fords opened the afternoon by surviving two match points and taking down Stevens (10-2), 25-19, 15-25, 26-24, 20-25, 18-16. Haverford then kept the pressure on against Susquehanna (2-7), weathering several River Hawk pushes on the way to a 27-25, 25-13, 25-19 sweep.
Elizabeth Cella paced the Haverford attack across the two victories with 30 kills, while Gia Frank totaled 19 kills and Fiona Moord added 17. The Fords also received strong contributions from their setting tandem of Anna Krotky Koeppe and Dasha Igonin throughout the eight-set afternoon.
Haverford's serving proved especially important against Stevens, with the Fords firing 10 aces against just two service errors during the five-set marathon. Igonin led the way with three aces, while Frank and Kira Chaney contributed two apiece.
Chaney anchored the defensive effort against the Ducks with a career-high 33 digs, while also matching a career best with 10 assists. The 46-dig performance overall on Saturday pushed Chaney to 957 for her Haverford career, leaving her just 43 shy of the 1,000-dig milestone.
Igonin matched her career high with 14 digs while adding 16 assists and three aces. Cella also established a career best with 21 digs while taking a career-high 70 swings.
Haverford 3, (RV) Stevens 2
The opening match quickly developed into a back-and-forth affair between two sides unwilling to give much ground.
Haverford set the tone in the opening frame. With the score tied at 12-12, Igonin stepped to the service line and helped spark a six-point run. Cella and Frank each delivered kills during the surge as the Fords opened an 18-12 advantage. Stevens pulled back within two at 20-18, but Haverford responded again. Frank and Moord supplied consecutive kills before Frank delivered a service ace to bring up set point. Moord eventually finished the frame with a kill off a Krotky Koeppe set for a 25-19 victory.
Stevens answered emphatically in the second, using an extended run to build a 19-7 advantage before taking the frame, 25-15, and leveling the match.
The third set provided an early preview of the drama still to come. Neither side could create much separation before Haverford grabbed a 21-19 advantage behind a Frank-Maggie Turner block and a Stevens attack error. The Ducks responded and eventually earned set point at 24-23.
Haverford refused to concede the frame. Frank delivered a clutch kill off an Igonin set to erase set point and pull the Fords even at 24-24. Chaney then stepped to the service line and delivered an ace before a Stevens attack error completed the 26-24 comeback, putting Haverford ahead 2-1.
The Ducks again responded in the fourth, overcoming an early Haverford advantage before creating separation late. Frank helped the Fords pull within three at 23-20 with a kill and service ace, but Stevens collected the final two points for a 25-20 win to force a decisive fifth.
The final frame delivered a fitting conclusion to an afternoon of high-level volleyball from both sides. Haverford and Stevens traded points throughout the set, with neither team able to pull away. The Ducks moved within one point of the victory at 14-13, but a service error kept Haverford alive and tied the frame at 14-14.
Stevens earned another match point at 15-14 before Moord answered with a kill off a Krotky Koeppe feed. The Ducks moved back in front, 16-15, setting the stage for Cella to take over. Krotky Koeppe connected with Cella on three consecutive points, with Cella hammering home three straight kills to turn the 16-15 deficit into an 18-16 Haverford victory.
Cella finished with a team-high 15 kills and 21 digs, while Frank produced 14 kills on a .353 hitting percentage, four blocks and two aces. Moord joined the duo in double figures with 11 kills while hitting .286.
Chaney's career-high 33 digs led a Haverford defense that amassed 104 digs in the five-set battle. Sierra Lever contributed 16 digs, while Igonin added her career-high-tying 14. Krotky Koeppe handed out a team-high 23 assists, with Igonin adding 16. Turner contributed five total blocks, including one solo rejection, while Frank added four. Haverford's 10 aces against only two service errors provided another crucial edge in a match decided by the smallest of margins.
Haverford 3, Susquehanna 0
After expending plenty of energy in the five-set opener, the Fords returned to the court and maintained the pressure against Susquehanna, overcoming a late River Hawk charge in the opening set before controlling the final two
frames.
Haverford appeared to have control of the opener after building an 18-11 advantage, with Frank and Moord combining on a block during the run. Susquehanna, however, steadily chipped away and eventually erased the deficit, using a late surge to pull even at 23-23. Turner stopped the run with a kill to give Haverford set point at 24-23, but Susquehanna answered before a service ace put the River Hawks ahead, 25-24. With the opening frame suddenly hanging in the balance, the Fords remained composed.
Frank delivered the equalizer off an Igonin set before Marlee Hills put Haverford back in front with a kill at 26-25. A Susquehanna attack error then handed the Fords the final point of the 27-25 victory.
Haverford carried that momentum directly into the second set, racing out to a 7-1 advantage. The Fords continued to create separation behind a balanced attack, with Cella, Hills, Moord, Turner and Krotky Koeppe all contributing as the lead ballooned to 19-8.
The Scarlet and Black hit .400 in the frame, collecting 15 kills against just three errors on 30 attempts. Cella supplied six kills during the set, while Turner added three as Haverford rolled to a 25-13 victory and a commanding 2-0 match advantage.
The River Hawks refused to go quietly in the third. Haverford established a 10-4 advantage behind consecutive Lever aces, but Susquehanna responded with several spurts to remain within striking distance. The visitors eventually trimmed an 18-11 deficit to just one at 20-19.
Haverford never allowed Susquehanna to draw even. A River Hawk attack error halted the run before another attacking mistake pushed the advantage to 22-19. Cella then delivered a kill, and consecutive Susquehanna ball-handling and attacking errors completed a match-ending 5-0 Haverford run and sealed the 25-19 victory.
Cella again led the attack with 15 kills, while Turner was nearly flawless with five kills on seven swings and no errors for a .714 hitting percentage. Frank added five kills while hitting .400, and Moord and Hills contributed six and five kills, respectively. Krotky Koeppe added four kills without an error on seven attempts while distributing 13 assists.
Igonin handed out a match-high 20 assists, while Lever provided a spark from the service line with three of Haverford's six aces and added 11 digs. Chaney collected a team-high 13 digs. Haverford finished the Susquehanna match with 40 kills and a .260 hitting percentage while holding the River Hawks to .165.
The Fords continue a home-heavy slate with a 1 p.m. matchup on Saturday, October 3 against Franklin & Marshall. The contest represents Senior Day for the Fords, and the matchup will be part of Homecoming on the Haverford campus.
