HAVERFORD, Pa. – On the second day of Haverford Invitational action inside the Gooding '84 Arena, the Haverford Volleyball team was knocked off by Wheaton, 3-0, and Arcadia, 3-1. Haverford (1-3) saw sophomore setter Sydney Miller named to the Haverford Invitational All-Tournament team. Miller finished the weekend was 130 assists and seven service aces while also contributing on three blocks and tallying 12 kills.
Senior co-captain Natalie Pisch had 19 kills on the day while first year Dina Kosyagin made an immediate impact with 17 kills on just 41 swings in total over the two contests.
Wheaton 3, Haverford 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-17)
The Fords faced off with the Lyons for the first time in program history on Sunday afternoon. Wheaton came out with an energetic attack that left the Fords looking for answers in the early goings. Haverford eventually climbed back into the first set, trailing by just two at 14-12 following a service ace from First year Isabel Schwam. Claire Nicholas tallied a kill that cut the Wheaton lead to 16-13, but a 7-0 run sealed the set for the visitors at the eventual final of 25-17.
In the second set, Haverford used a 3-0 run to take a 14-12 lead and stuck with Wheaton throughout the stanza, tying the score at 19-19 behind a kill from Miller and eventually taking a brief 20-19 lead. Wheaton capped the set with a 6-0 run to take a 2-0 lead in the match.In the third, the Wheaton offense overpowered the Fords, registering a .481 attacking percentage.
The Lyons committed just one attacking error in the frame, opening on an 8-3 run. Haverford again proved to have mettle, surging back to within two at 10-8 following a Miller service ace. The Fords found themselves within three at 15-12, but Wheaton concluded the match on a 10-5 spurt.
Pisch paced the Fords with eight kills while Sara Matsumura added seven and Kendall Robison had six. Miller had 29 assists in the match while Matsumura contributed a match-best 14 digs.
Arcadia 3, Haverford 1 (25-22, 25-16, 25-27, 25-17)
In the late afternoon match with Arcadia, Haverford was locked in a tight seesaw battle in the first. The set was tied as late at 17-17 before a 5-0 run for the Knights put Arcadia up 22-17. Haverford contributed a 3-0 run to cut the lead back to two at 22-20 as Julia Gallagher-Teske revved up the home crowd with a solo block to cap the jaunt. Arcadia scored three of the final five points, using its cushion to seal a close set victory at 25-22.
In the second set, Arcadia scored the first four points and eventually opened up a 15-9 lead. A block from Gallagher-Teske and Pisch cut the lead to 18-13, but Arcadia finished off the the set with a 25-17 victory. Haverford won the third set in a thriller after facing match point at 24-22. Miller cut the deficit to 24-23 with a kill, and a pair of attack errors by Arcadia allowed Haverford to take a 25-24 lead. Arcadia answered back, but a Pisch kill gave the Fords set point and an Arcadia error forced a fourth set as Haverford squeaked by with a 27-25 victory.
Arcadia prevailed in the fourth after opening up a 9-4 lead, prompting Haverford timeout. The Fords pulled to within three as late as 14-11, but a 3-0 Arcadia run was followed shortly by a 6-1 stretch in favor of the Knights, as the visitors pulled away with a 25-17 victory.
Kosyagin had an impressive performance with 12 kills while Pisch contributed 11. Miller notched 35 helpers while first year Elena Filograna (17 digs) led three Fords with double-digit dig totals. Blocking was key for the Fords with Gallagher-Teske recording five stops.
Haverford will now have a few days away from competition before heading to York, Pa. for the Spartan Invitational. The Fords will match with host York on Friday, September 7 before returning on Saturday for matchups with NYU and Gallaudet.