HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team rallied to force a deciding fifth set but visiting Muhlenberg College hung on for a 3-2 Centennial Conference victory on Wednesday night at Gooding Arena.
After the Mules (12-5, 5-1 CC) edged the Fords (11-6, 2-3) in set one by a score of 27-25, Haverford stormed back from a 19-12 deficit to score 14 of the next 19 points and register a 26-24 victory in the second set.
Muhlenberg pushed in front again with a third-set win (25-20) but the Fords, buoyed by the support from the home crowd, came roaring back and broke open a tight fourth set with four consecutive points to move out to a 15-11 advantage. Haverford scored seven of the final 10 points of the set on its way to closing out a 25-18 victory.
The final set saw the two teams continue to battle but the Mules managed to claim a 15-8 win to take the match.
Keri Godbe reached double digits in kills for the 15th time in 17 contests this season as she paced the squad with 21. Meg O'Day helped the cause with 18 kills while Olivia Walsh contributed a match-high 30 assists.
The Fords' defense limited Muhlenberg to a mere .079 hitting percentage with sophomore Nina Mutty registering a team-high 24 digs. Godbe chipped in with 15 digs while Madison Fuelling and Jeanna Kenney tallied 12 apiece. Kenney's 12 digs were a new career high.
Godbe was a force at the net with one solo block and three block assists while O'Day, Walsh and Elena Garcia added three block assists each.
Freshman Allison Glass led the Mules with 16 kills and sophomore libero Chelsea Kaser took match-high honors with 33 digs. Muhlenberg's front line was a factor as the visitors tallied 14 total blocks on the night.
Wednesday's night match was one of the Centennial's designated Tanner's Touch matches as the 11 volleyball teams in the conference have joined together to raise awareness for pediatric cancer throughout the month of October.
Haverford heads to Boston this weekend for non-conference action at the two-day Beacons Invitational hosted by the University of Massachusetts Boston. The Fords will take on the hosts and Babson College on Saturday before playing Endicott College and Colby-Sawyer College on Sunday.