YORK, Pa. – On the second and final day of the Spartan Invitational on the campus of York College of Pennyslvania, the Haverford College volleyball team settled for a split, falling to NYU in four sets before sweeping Gallaudet in straight sets.
NYU 3, Haverford 1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20)
In the morning match, Haverford fell behind early as NYU hit an impressive .303 in the first stanza. The Fords grabbed a second second set victory behind a .324 hitting percentage in the frame, but the Violet eked out a pair of victories in the third and fourth sets to take the match victory.
Julia Gallagher-Teske and Caroline Baldwin each had 11 kills to pace Haverford in the 10 a.m. contest. Baldwin hit a match-best .474, with 11 kills against just two errors on 19 total swings. Gallagher-Teske also had a banner day with her .333 attack percentage representing the best of her career thus far. Sara Hunsberger was called in for her first major action, racking up a match-best 37 assists. Sara Matsumura (16 digs) and Elena Filograna (11 digs) were defensive standouts for the Fords in the contest. Haverford again had a solid blocking performance, with Gallagher-Teske recording four solo blocks and four assisted blocks to lead the way. The eight total blocks matched a career best for the junior. Hunsberger also added a solo block and an assisted block.
Haverford 3, Gallaudet 0 (25-22, 25-9, 25-19)
In the afternoon match, the Fords came out with a renewed intensity. Despite being out-hit in the first set, the Fords took a close victory before dominating the second set with a flawless attack, hitting .571 with 16 kills on 28 total attacks and zero errors. Haverford was able to close out the Bison in the third, hitting .200 while keeping Gallaudet to a .107 attack percentage.
Natalie Pisch led the way for the Fords with 12 kills and just two errors on 32 total attacks. Matsumura contributed nine kills while Dina Kosyagin added seven. Hunsberger pitched in 30 assists and added nine digs and a pair of service aces. Filograna (16 digs, three service aces) and Matsumura (13 digs) were among the defensive leaders while the blocking effort was again led by Gallagher-Teske who contributed to four blocks. Hunsberger added three assisted blocks while Kosyagin registered two, and Baldwin added one.
The Fords return to action on Tuesday for a midweek clash at Cabrini. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. as the Main Line foes meet up for the first of two consecutive contests. Haverford will also open up the Neumann Knights tournament against the Cavaliers on Friday afternoon. The two sides have met 18 times in total, with Haverford holding a 14-4 advantage all-time. Cabrini took a 3-0 victory at Gooding Arena a season ago.