Signature win: Without a doubt, the Fords' signature win came in the biggest match of the year as Haverford defeated rival Swarthmore, 5-1, during the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament. That victory avenged one of just two conference defeats that the Fords suffered during the regular season, reversing a 6-3 team score from less than a month prior. That playoff victory put Haverford in the Centennial Conference Championship match for just the second time in program history (2014), before the Fords ultimately fell to nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins in the conference title match.
The win against the rival Garnet helped propel Haverford to the No. 40 ranking in the final ITA team rankings, the first time Haverford had attained a national ranking in school history. The Fords were competing in the Centennial Conference Tournament for the ninth time during the past 10 seasons after finishing third in the Centennial Conference's regular season standings.
Season Notes: Haverford went 13-4 overall under first-year head coach Andrew Cohn, including an 8-2 record in Centennial Conference matches … The Fords' final ranking of No. 40 marked the first time the program was nationally-ranked in school history … Haverford finished the season as the No. 8-ranked team in the ITA's Atlantic South Region … Julia Gan finished the year as the 21st ranked singles player in the Atlantic South Region, while the Fords' doubles pairing of Jane Bary and Emily Shutman was also regionally-ranked throughout the regular season … Haverford made just its second trip to the Centennial Conference Championship in school history (2014) … The Fords have made the Centennial Conference Tournament during nine of the last 10 seasons … The four players who earned All-Centennial Conference recognition in singles was the most in the history of the program as the team had three singles players honored previously during the 2011 and 2014 seasons … Haverford's doubles team of Jane Bary and Emily Shutman became the first Haverford duo since the 2015 campaign to earn All-CC recognition with its second-team honors … Haverford's seven selections to the Centennial Conference's Academic Honor Roll tied the school record which was first set just one season ago … Jane Bary was named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team for the second straight season … Haverford was one of just two schools in the entire Philadelphia area (Drexel) to have multiple student-athletes selected to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team … Haverford has been honored with the ITA's All-Academic Team Award every year since 2004, a streak of 15 straight years.
Awards:
- ITA Academic Team Award
- ITA Scholar-Athletes: Izzy Angstman, Jane Bary, Sam Berg, Renata DiDonato, Clara Farrehi, Julia Gan, Ananya Prakash, Emily Shutman, Annika Ulrich, Natalie Williams
- All-Centennial Conference Singles: Julia Gan (first team), Jane Bary (first team), Greta Koch (second team), Emily Shutman (honorable mention)
- All-Centennial Conference Doubles: Jane Bary/Emily Shutman (second team)
- Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team: Jane Bary, Julia Gan
- Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Izzy Angstman, Jane Bary, Renata DiDonato, Clara Farrehi, Julia Gan, Emily Shutman, Annika Ulrich
- Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team: Jane Bary
- Centennial Conference Player of the Week: Jane Bary (3/12)
- Ambler Scholar-Athlete: Annika Ulrich
- A. W. "Pop" Haddleton Award: Annika Ulrich
Looking ahead: Hitting previously unmatched heights during the 2017-18 season, Haverford appears to be in prime position to continue its growth as a program in the immediate future. Three of Haverford's record-breaking four All-Centennial Conference singles players return, minus the graduation loss of four-year starter and two-time All-Centennial Conference performer Greta Koch. In addition to regionally-ranked Julia Gan, along with All-CC performers Jane Bary and Emily Shutman, rising junior Clara Farrehi and rising sophomore Sam Berg filled out a young postseason lineup for the Fords that will only continue to improve in the coming seasons.