LANCASTER, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (14-4, 1-1 CC) dropped a pair of matches at Franklin & Marshall's Mayser Center on Saturday afternoon, falling to the host Diplomats 3-1 (27-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18) in a conference clash, before dropping a neutral site contest with Scranton by the same 3-1 final (24-26, 25-18, 25-19, 26-24).
Franklin & Marshall 3, Haverford 1
After Franklin & Marshall got out to what appeared to be a commanding 22-15 lead over the Fords in the opening set, Haverford rallied back with an impressive stretch to tie the score at 23-23. Lindsey Keener was integral on the run, delivering a trio of kills before a Kendall Otridge kill pulled Haverford to within one. The Fords regained the lead after a pair of Diplomats attack errors, but a 2-0 stretch for the hosts restored set point. Haverford again tied the score at 25-25, but Grace Polisano gave the Diplomats set point yet again at 26-25, before an error allowed the hosts to escape at 27-25.
The Fords roared out to a 10-5 lead in the second set behind a strong blocking effort in the early goings. Julia Gallagher-Teske and Madison Adore teamed up for three blocks in the run, and Haverford was able to keep up the pace even as Franklin & Marshall creeped closer. The Fords called for timeout as their lead was cut to 17-16, but the timeout served as the impetus for a 4-0 run that Kendall Robison punctuated with a service ace. The hosts again had an answer, tying the score at 23-23, but Sydney Miller punched down a kill before an assisted block from Adore and Dina Kosyagin tied the match at 1-1 as Haverford delivered a 25-23 set victory.
The third set saw Franklin & Marshall start on a 16-10 spurt, but Haverford forced a Diplomats timeout with a 4-0 run of their own that saw Sara Matsumura deliver a pair of aces from the service line. Eventually, the Diplomats were too strong down the stretch, limiting the Haverford opportunities offensively as they took a 25-20 victory. The fourth was a see-saw affair, with Haverford erasing a 15-11 Diplomats advantage with a 4-0 run before the hosts climbed back to take a 20-16 lead. Ultimately, a fruitful service turn with Carly Ostrowski toeing the line delivered three straight points as F&M notched a four-set victory with a 25-18 set triumph.
Kosyagin led the Fords with 14 kills while Keener contributed nine. Adore and Otridge each had eight kills. Haverford had four players with double-digit dig totals, led by Matsumura with 30. Miller added 14 for her second double-double of the season, while Elena Filograna and Isabel Schwam each posted 12. Three different Fords (Matsumura, Miller, Robison) logged a pair of service aces. Defensively, Adore led the way with six blocks while Gallagher-Teske tallied four.
Scranton 3, Haverford 1
In the neutral site match, Haverford took the first set despite Scranton charging out to a 17-11 run. The Fords immediately responded with an 8-0 flurry, as Adore delivered a pair of service aces in the stretch and the Fords went ahead 18-17. Scranton scurried to a 22-18 advantage, answering the run with a spurt of their own, but again Haverford had a response, tying the score at 23-23. Haverford had set point up 24-23, but Scranton tied things at 24-24 with a kill from Jillian Graham. A pair of attack errors by Scranton then handed Haverford the opening frame at 26-24.
The second went to the Royals as Scranton hit .281 in the stanza. The lead for Scranton was down to just one at 17-16 following a service ace from Schwam, but an ace from Kristin Bush prompted a Haverford timeout with the Fords trailing by five at 22-17. Ultimately, Scranton used a service ace from Sabrina LiVolsi to close out the set at 25-18.
The third saw Scranton begin on a 15-11 spurt before Haverford called for a timeout. The Fords battled back to tie the score at 17-17, but a pair of kills from Carah Vitkus and a pair of Bush service aces gave the Royals a 21-17 lead. Haverford rallied with a 2-0 run, but a 4-0 stretch for Scranton put the set away at 25-19. The fourth was closely contested, with Haverford closing the gap on an early Scranton advantage. The Fords and Royals were tied at 15-15 before a 5-1 run gave Scranton a four point lead. The Fords stuck around, storming back to tie the score at 24-24, fending off three consecutive set points after Adore and Otridge teamed up for a block and Keener punched down a pair of kills. Scranton eventually was able to end the match as Victoria Capogna won set point back for her squad before a service ace ended things at 26-24.
Kosyagin had nine kills to pace Haverford, while Keener and Adore each added six. Miller totaled 22 assists while Matsumura added 20 digs. Otridge had a match-best three blocks.
The Fords will return to competition on Wednesday, going on the road to Immaculata for a non-conference clash at 6:30 p.m. Haverford returns to Centennial action on Saturday, October 5 hosting No. 23 Johns Hopkins at 12:30 p.m.