CHESTERTOWN, Md. - The Haverford College volleyball team (7-10, 2-1 CC) picked up a key Centennial Conference win on Wednesday evening in Chestertown, eclipsing host Washington College (6-12, 1-2 CC) in five sets. Set scores for the match were 25-19, 23-25, 25-17, 25-27, 15-8. 

Haverford had four players with double-digit kills in the match, as Claire Jordan (14), Eliana Brown (13), Taylor Jones (12) and Kira Chaney (11) all reached the total, and three with double-digit digs as Juliet Young (22), Kayla Chu (17), and Téa Kuzbari (10) led the way. 

After setting her career high in assists last Saturday, Chu was just one helper away from matching that total, notching 44 assists. Haverford had 10 total blocks, the fourth time this season the team has reached double digits in that category. The Fords notched 15 service aces, tying for the second-most this season

In the first frame, Washington College jetted out to a 9-5 lead, but Haverford responded to take an 11-9 lead. Izabela Potocnjak and Jordan each had kills in that stretch, with Young tying the score at 9-9 with a service ace before Jordan tallied to put the Fords up 10-9. Young delivered another service ace for the 11-9 advantage. 

The teams traded short runs from that point, with Haverford up by three at 20-17 following a kill from Jonesand a Shorewomen error. Washington called for timeout, but could not stop a Haverford run as Jordan and Potocnjak teamed up for a block before a kill from Brown and a service ace from Jordan ended things at 25-19 in favor of Haverford. 

The second set went to Washington College in a nailbiter. Haverford fell behind 15-10 early on in the frame, but battled back thanks to a strong serving turn from Kuzbari. The Fords were within two at 17-15 following back-to-back kills from Jones, and tied the score at 20-20 following back-to-back kills from Brown. 

WAC called for timeout, and Brown added a third consecutive kill to give her team the lead. A 3-0 Washington College run ended with a block from Brown and Potocnjak putting Haverford within one at 23-22, but two important kills from Chelsea Elliott handed the set to the hosts, tying the score at 1-1.

Haverford held the hosts to a .025 hitting percentage in the third, getting out to a 10-2 lead following back-to-back blocks. Jordan and Jones teamed up before a solo block from Jones put Haverford up eight. The lead ballooned to 13-4, and the Fords were able to keep the Shorewomen off guard in the frame. The lead hit 10 at 21-11 following a Jordan kill, and strong play from Jordan and Brown down the stretch delivered the set to Haverford at 25-17. 

The fourth set was another competitive battle between two hungry sides. Both teams traded points back and forth until Haverford pushed out to an 11-8 lead. Brown was vital in the opening points, accumulating three kills in a crucial stretch. Washington College kept battling back and keeping it close, but the Fords kept up the pressure, going up 14-11. Brown got another kill, while Jordan picked up a service ace.

Eventually the Shorewomen rallied back, with four big kills coming from Allison McKechnie, Riley McHugh, Colette Franck, and Angelina Schaber, tying the game at 17 apiece. The teams would deal points back and forth until a 24-24 deadlock. The stretch was highlighted by three kills from Chaney, and a kill each from Chu Brown, and Jordan. 

Knotted at 24-all, Chaney helped the Fords pull ahead by a point with a devastating kill. Washington College's Franck answered with a kill of her own to tie the game at 25. The Shorewomen then went up a point after a hard hit from Jordan was blocked and sent right back by Schaber and Elliot. The winning point of set four was earned by Washington College via a service ace by McKechnie, sending the contest into a pivotal set five. 

In the decisive fifth set, Haverford jetted out to an early advantage, taking a 4-1 lead after service aces from Kuzbari and Young. Washington battled back to pull back within one at 6-5, but the Fords then rattled off three straight on three consecutive Washington errors. Undaunted, the hosts pulled back within one at 9-8, before Haverford took control, closing the match on a 6-0 run. The hot stretch included another big block from Brown and Potocnjak as well as kills from Jordan and Potocnjak, who ended things at 15-8.

The Fords now return home for the Mental Health Awareness match on Saturday against No. 9 Johns Hopkins. The contest is slated to begin at 1 p.m inside Gooding '84 Arena. Fans at this game and games throughout the week are encouraged to wear green to show their support of the initiative. Green is the color of mental health, representing hope, strength, support, and encouragement. 

The week's events are in partnership with conference chapters of The Hidden Opponent, an accredited non-profit and advocacy group that raises awareness for student-athletes mental health and addresses the stigma within sports culture.