HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (14-2, 1-0 CC) opened up the Centennial Conference slate with a sweep of visiting Muhlenberg (5-8, 0-2 CC), prevailing by set scores of 25-18, 25-23, and 25-16 at Gooding '84 Arena on Wednesday evening.
Madison Adore and Kendall Otridge each had a game-best nine kills while Lindsey Keener added eight. Sydney Miller added 32 assists and a service ace, while Sara Matsumura contributed 25 digs and a pair of service aces. The senior co-captain has now tallied double-digit digs in each contest dating back to the 2017 season finale.
As has been the case often throughout the 2019 season, Haverford got out to a quick start in the first set, unleashing an 11-3 run to begin play. The lead stretched to 21-12 with a 3-0 spurt that began with a block from Julia Gallagher-Teske and Keener. From that point, strong hitting from Dina Kosyagin and Otridge down the stretch helped deliver the first set to the Fords at 25-18.
In the second, it was Muhlenberg who started on a run, with the visitors jetting out to an early 7-2 advantage. Haverford clawed back, tying the score at 11-11 on Miller's service ace. The two teams then traded jabs from that point, with Muhlenberg seeing its 19-17 lead evaporate behind back-to-back kills from Kosyagin. The Fords later grabbed set point behind a 2-0 run that prompted a Muhlenberg timeout, and Madison Adore ended the set with a kill at 25-23.
The third saw the Fords with some early momentum, as Isabel Schwam oversaw an 8-3 run at the service line to begin the set. A strong defensive effort stymied the Muhlenberg rhythm in the frame, as Otridge and Keener teamed up on a block to hand Haverford a 10-4 lead. Adore and Otridge later went up together for a block that saw the Fords extend the lead to 12-5, and a 4-0 run promptly gave the Fords a commanding 17-8 lead. Gallagher-Teske and Adore both found the floor with kills as Haverford went ahead 21-12 before Claire Nicholas provided an instant spark off the bench. Nicholas contributed three of Haverford's final four points, including the match-clincher, notching a perfect hitting percentage with three kills on three swings.
Gallagher-Teske extended her Centennial Conference leading blocks total to 64 with five total blocks, while Keener added a career-best three. Adore and Otridge each had a pair of blocks while Miller and Kosyagin added one each. Schwam also notched double-digit digs for the 11th time this season.
The Fords are now 25-12 all-time against Muhlenberg. The sweep of the Mules was the first for Haverford since the 2012 season.
Haverford returns to competition Saturday, taking on host Franklin & Marshall and Scranton in a tri-match in Lancaster, Pa, with action beginning at noon.