After falling in the first set, the Fords claimed the next two and were on the verge of clinching a victory before Swarthmore took the final two points of the fourth set and ran away with the fifth.
Wednesday night's victory at Swarthmore clinched the top spot in the Centennial for the Fords and brings the conference tournament to Haverford where the team will shoot for their fifth consecutive title.
The Fords will return to the Centennial Conference tournament for the ninth consecutive year and have a chance to secure home-court advantage with three league matches remaining.
The Fords rebounded from a loss to 6th-ranked Christopher Newport early Saturday with a sweep of Va. Wesleyan in their final match of the invitational.