HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team opened the season with two victories on the first day of action of the Haverford Invitational at Gooding Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Fords took down Susquehanna University (25-13, 25-15, 26-24) and Widener University (25-20, 25-18, 25-13) by identical 3-0 scores.

In the opener against Susquehanna (1-1), Haverford benefited greatly from the play of newcomers Keri Godbe and Olivia Walsh. Outside hitter Godbe led the attack with 12 kills while setter Walsh registered 31 assists. Seniors Emily Mills and Olivia Coburn-Flynn, as well as freshman Meg O'Day, had seven kills each. The Fords' offense was solid overall with a .280 hitting percentage.

Spearheading the defensive effort against the Crusaders were freshman Nina Mutty and sophomore Madison Fuelling with 13 digs apiece. Jessica Holm led Susquehanna with seven kills during the contest.

Haverford's sound defense continued in the second match of the day as the squad combined for 55 digs to hold Widener to a scant .073 attack percentage. Fuelling led the defensive effort with 20 digs while Godbe and Mutty chipped in with 13 and 10, respectively.

Registering a strong all-around effort, Mutty took team-high honors in kills with nine while Godbe, Mills and Coburn-Flynn had seven apiece. Walsh helped the cause with 30 assists.

Kaitlin Schnalzer paced the Pride with seven kills while Maggie Greenberg tallied 24 assists.

The Fords will look to keep the momentum going on day two of the tournament when they face Frostburg State University at 10 a.m. and Juniata College, ranked 10th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) preseason poll, at 2 p.m.