HAVERFORD, Pa. - On Senior Day inside the Gooding '84 Arena, the Haverford College volleyball team swept past Dickinson, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-19) before returning later in the afternoon to down Manhattanville in straight sets (25-20, 25-14, 25-20). The Fords are now 10-16 on the season (3-5 CC) following the pair of victories.
Prior to the Dickinson match, Haverford honored senior Natalie Pisch. Pisch is one of just 10 Haverford players to reach 1,000 kills and has been a part of two Centennial Conference playoff teams.
Haverford 3, Dickinson 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-19)
Once play began, the Fords found themselves locked in a battle with the Centennial foe Red Devils. A 4-0 run with Kendall Robison at the service line was punctuated with a kill from Pisch that gave the Fords a 16-12 lead, prompting Dickinson timeout. The Red Devils fought back to keep things close, but Haverford cruised to a 25-20 victory as Madison Adore delivered the final two points for the Fords.
The second went to Haverford despite the two squads being deadlocked as late as 20-20. A pair of attack errors from the Red Devils gave the Fords a two-point cushion, and Robison and Dina Kosyagin each delivered kills to put the Fords up 24-21. Kosyagin finished the set at 25-22, scoring on back-to-back Haverford points to give the hosts a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
The third started less than optimally for Haverford, as it was Dickinson who jetted out to a 5-0 lead to begin things. From that point, the momentum switched back to the hosts as the Fords took a 6-5 lead with a run that began with Sara Matsumura at the service line. Pisch and Outen were vital to the blocking effort in the frame, combining for a pair of blocks in the 6-0 stretch. Dickinson briefly took a 14-12 lead, but found themselves down by three at 21-18. From that point, Haverford was able to capitalize on several Red Devils errors before Kosyagin sent the Fords to victory at 25-19, sealing a sweep.
Haverford hit .246 in the match, with Pisch leading the way with nine kills while Kosyagin chipped in eight and Riley Outen notched seven. Kendall Robison delivered a pair of service aces while Hunsberger registered 29 assists. Sara Matsumura tallied 22 digs. Pisch and Outen each had four total blocks as Haverford registered 10 as a team.
Hannah Riley had 11 kills to lead Dickinson, while Tatiana Lopez (16 digs) and Christina Chu (13 digs) each reached double-digits in the category. Dickinson sits at 10-16 (2-6 CC) at the end of the day's contests.
Haverford 3, Manhattanville 0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-20)
In the second match, the Fords faced the Manhattanville Valiants of the MAC Freedom. The Fords opened up an early 13-10 lead thanks to a block from Julia Gallagher-Teske and Natalie Pisch, but the Valiants were able to tie things up at 16-16. The two squads were deadlocked at 19-19, but Pisch and Gallagher-Teske teamed up for back-to-back blocks to put Haverford up 22-19. The Fords pulled away from there, with Gallagher-Teske and Pisch delivering kills in the final moments as Haverford took the first 25-20.
The second saw the Fords out to a huge run, turning a 3-2 lead into an 18-5 advantage behind crisp passing and a strong offensive effort led by Madison Adore. The 18-5 lead eventually turned into a 21-11 advantage, as the Fords pulled away at 25-14, hitting .258 in the set.
In the third, the two squads were locked at 13-13 before a 4-0 run gave Haverford a 17-13 cushion. Adore delivered two kills in the stretch, while Gallagher-Teske and Pisch teamed up for yet another block. Manhattanville cut the lead to 21-18, but Haverford was able to mix in a large group of players in the final stanza before turning in a 25-20 set victory.
In total, Haverford used 15 players in the match.
First year Taylor Seid made her collegiate debut, registering four digs. Adore had a match-best 11 kills while Kosyagin added 10. Hunsberger posted 19 assists, with Sydney Miller playing the third set at setter, collecting 11. The Fords excelled defensively, with 20 total blocks. Pisch and Gallagher-Teske each had six to lead the way. Gallagher-Teske finished the day with 293 total blocks, pulling to third all-time in program history in just her junior season.
Laura Livolsi had nine kills to pace the Valiants, who fell to 7-13 at the end of the day's action.
The Fords will return to action on Wednesday, October 24 as Centennial Conference action continues with Bi-co neighbor Bryn Mawr traveling to Gooding '84 Arena for a 7:00 p.m. first serve. The Fords will then wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Swarthmore in the annual Hood Trophy contest at 1 p.m.