Full Centennial Conference Release
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team garnered three accolades in the Centennial Conference post-season honors, as first-year outside hitter Kira Chaney won Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year to highlight the selections.
A pair of juniors also collected honors, as middle hitter Taylor Jones earned All-Centennial Conference first-team, and libero Juliet Young received All-Centennial Conference Honorable Mention, the conference office announced in a release Tuesday morning.
This is the second Rookie of the Year award in school history, and the fourth season in a row that the Fords have had multiple all-conference selections.
Hailing from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Chaney had an impressive debut season for Haverford, as the first-year was all over the court in year one, cementing her name in many of the statistical categories in the conference.
Chaney ranked 10th in the conference with 200 kills in just 73 sets, averaging 2.74 kills per set. The outside hitter also was a force behind the service line, totaling 40 service aces on the year, good for a split of seventh in the conference with teammate Claire Jordan.
A well-rounded player in all facets of the game, Chaney led the team in total attacks (631), aces (40), and points per set (3.4) as well as finishing second on the team in total kills (200), and total digs (177). The first-year recorded three double-doubles on the season, most recently posting one in the final game against Swarthmore, tallying 13 kills and adding 11 digs.
Jones, coming off a very decorated 2022 where she secured AVCA Honorable Mention All-America and AVCA All-Region 5 Team, among other honors, led the Centennial and ranked 12th in the nation with a .387 hitting percentage. The middle hitter also ranked fourth in the conference in total attacks with 468 (among those with a minimum of three attacks per set). The Yorba Linda, Calif. product paced the team in kills with 207, and finished second on the team in blocks (63) and blocks per set (0.71). Jones had seven games with double digit kills, most notably spiking down a season-best 18 kills against DeSales (10/7).
The first Rookie of the Year in school history, Young's stellar play earned herself an Honorable Mention tag for the second consecutive year. The Guilford, Conn. native led the team and placed third in the conference with a substantial 460 digs, and placed second in the Centennial with 5.17 digs per set. To add to her impressive season, Young placed third on the team in assists (78) and service aces (35) as well. A match of note for Young was the second of the season, where the junior totaled a remarkable 44 kills against Stockton (9/1). Following several more impressive performances, the junior garnered Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week on September 12.
Sophomore defensive specialist Sydney Rucker claimed a spot on the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship team. Rucker appeared in 15 matches season, tallying 48 digs and seven assists.
Simrin Carlsen of Johns Hopkins took home Centennial Conference Player of the Year, while Muhlenberg's Alyssa Faville received Defensive Player of the Year. To wrap up the awards, the coaching staff of Gettysburg achieved 2023's Coaching Staff of the Year award.