HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team will match up with No. 25 Muhlenberg in the Centennial Conference semifinals on Friday evening at 8 p.m., as the Fords mark their seventh-straight appearance in the conference playoffs with a trip to Gettysburg College and Bream Gymnasium.
The Fords enter the contest with the third seed in the tournament and a 20-5 overall record. The Fords are 16-4 in Centennial Conference action. This season Haverford reached the 20-win plateau for the second time in program history, with the 2017-18 squad joining the 2013-14 team that finished 24-4 en-route to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Haverford is looking to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since the aforementioned 2013-14 campaign. Haverford traveled to Ithaca College for the first and second round contests that season, besting Rhode Island College in the first round before falling to the host Bombers in second round action.
The Fords have benefited from one of the stingiest defenses in the nation as Haverford enters Friday's contest with the sixth-ranked scoring defense in the nation, holding opponents to just 47.1 points per game. The Fords have tallied the fifth fewest personal fouls per game as well as the fifth fewest turnovers per contest (12.7). Haverford is holding opponents to just 31.8 percent shooting from the field, the 10th best mark in NCAA Division III. Samantha Wetzel is one of the best shot blockers in the nation with the eighth-highest mark in the country (75).
The squad has used a mixture of strong post play and exterior shooting as senior co-captains Sierra Berkel (15.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Wetzel (12.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg) patrol the paint, freeing opportunities from a wide array of guards including three-point aces Macy Goldbach (7.6 ppg), Maddie Gallic (4.9 ppg) and Julianna Clark (5.4 ppg). Katie Cook has emerged as one of the top distributors in the nation with a 2.28 assist-to-turnover ratio and 4.3 assists per game. Cook enters the contest with 265 career assists, the third most in program history in just her junior season. In reserve action, Megan Furch (5.3 ppg) and Anna-Sophia Capizzi (4.6 ppg) have appeared in each of the 25 contests this season while Raina Gully (1.6 ppg) has seen action in all but one contest.
Muhlenberg enters the contest at 22-3 and 17-3 in Centennial action. Brandi Vallely is a standout for the Mules, averaging a national best 8.3 assists per contest. Seniors Rachel Plotke (16.2 ppg), Chelsea Gary (14.0 ppg) and Vallely (13.9 ppg) are coach Ron Rohn's main scoring options while fellow senior Christina Manning (6.5 ppg) and Junior Carley Hamilton (5.4 ppg) round out an experienced starting five.
Friday's contest is the first ever neutral site meeting between Haverford and Muhlenberg. Haverford has won 5 of the last 10 meetings between the two sides dating back to the 2013-14 season, including a 52-44 triumph over the then-No. 16 Mules in Haverford on February 6.
The first semifinal will feature top-seeded Gettysburg and fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins at 6 p.m. on Friday night. The championship game will be on Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. and the winner will earn the Centennial's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Haverford split the season series with both Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins. The Fords and Bullets each handed each other their only home losses of the season. Haverford lost a tough road battle with the Blue Jays before a double-digit win at Gooding '84 Arena on February 8.
The four semifinalists have captured all but eight of the Centennial Conference tournament championships dating back to 1994.
For fans looking to make the trip to Gettysburg, Admission for each tournament session is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Children 12 and under as well as students from participating institutions, who present their ID, will be admitted free of charge. Live video and stats will be available for each of the three games on the weekend via CentennialConference.tv. Fans are encouraged to check HaverfordAthletics.com for the latest updates.