Volleyball Takes Down Swarthmore, 3-1; No. 2 Seed in CC Playoffs

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Posted: Oct 31, 2015

HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College volleyball team secured the No. 2 seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs with a four-set win (25-13, 22-25, 25-18, 25-22) over the Swarthmore College Garnet at the Gooding '84 Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Before the match, the team honored its six seniors, Keri Godbe, Jeanna Kenney, Nina Mutty, Meg O'Day, Sara Rennert and Olivia Walsh. The group has won 83 matches, has been to three Centennial Conference playoffs, culminating in a trip to the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals last season.

Haverford ran away with the first set, 25-13. Up 6-5, the Fords went on a 12-1 run to put the set away. Swarthmore had a .032 attack percentage in the first stanza, plagued by eight errors.

Tied at four in set two, the road team jumped in front with six of seven points, leading to a Haverford timeout. The Fords cut their deficit to two on several occasions with their last push setting the score at 18-16, but Swarthmore had a 5-1 outburst (24-19). Haverford fought off three set points, but fell 25-22, tying the match at one.

Trailing 7-3 during set three, the Fords countered with their own 7-3 sprint to tie the score at 10-all. Head coach Michele Benoit's squad continued ahead, scoring nine of the next 12 points to take a five point lead (19-14). The Garnet got back within three, but the Fords ended the set on a 6-2 rush to take the set, 25-18.

The fourth set saw Haverford provided the first separation with 7-1 burst to take a 14-8 advantage. The volleyball team would keep Swarthmore at bay until the Garnet crept back with a 9-3 drive that got them within one (23-22). After a Haverford timeout, two attack errors by Swarthmore would give the Fords a 3-1 match victory.

Godbe recorded a double-double with 16 digs and 14 kills. Kenney had a match-high 28 digs while sophomore Kaylynn Mayo had five block assists to lead the team. Freshman Natalie Pisch had a match-high .350 attack percentage on 20 attempts.

With three teams tied at the top of the Centennial Conference standings at 8-2, Johns Hopkins won the tiebreaker and will host the conference tournament. Haverford is the No. 2 seed as Swarthmore is No. 3. The defending champion, Franklin and Marshall, will travel to McDaniel in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup on Wednesday. The time for each match has not been determined. The Fords have won four Centennial Conference titles, the last coming in 2009.