HAVERFORD, Pa. – For the second straight season, the Haverford College volleyball team will be enjoying postseason play as it takes part in the Centennial Conference playoffs.
Haverford (19-9, 8-2 CC) will battle Hood Trophy rival, Swarthmore (19-8, 8-2 CC) in the No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on the campus of Johns Hopkins. Hopkins (12-10, 8-2) won the tiebreaker over Haverford and Swarthmore and earned the right to host the conference tournament this weekend at the Goldfarb Gymnasium. The Blue Jays will take on the No. 4 McDaniel Green Terror (18-7, 7-3 CC) and the No. 5 Franklin and Marshall Diplomats (14-14, 6-4 CC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Centennial Conference Championship will be on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Fords started the 2015 campaign with three victories before dropping the final two matches of the Haverford/Swarthmore Invitational. A five-match winning streak which included a conference-opening win over Dickinson put Haverford at 8-1 on the season. After a lull saw the Fords drop four of five matches, head coach Michele Benoit's team righted the ship, winning four straight. Haverford ended the season with victories in six of its final seven matches. A five-set triumph over Washington College put the Fords in the playoffs and a 3-1 conquest over Swarthmore helped the team to a No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
Haverford's dynamic duo of Keri Godbe (359 kills) and Meg O'Day (335 kills) led the way. O'Day was third in the conference in kills per set (3.64) while Godbe was fifth (3.55). O'Day's .366 attack percentage ranks No. 21 in Division III. The reigning Centennial Conference Player of the Year is also second in the conference in solo blocks (30). The Fords have three players in the top ten for service aces in sophomore Zoe Wong (52), senior Nina Mutty (49) and junior Valentine Courouble (37). Senior Olivia Walsh (513) and Wong (503) were only two of nine players among conference foes to have at least 500 assists. Senior Jeanna Kenney helped out on the back line with a conference-high 462 digs.
Johns Hopkins, the top seed, got to this point with help from Elizabeth Wuerstle and Erica Johnston. Those two are among the leaders in the Centennial in kills per set. The Blue Jays are second among conference teams with 211 service aces. This is the third time that Johns Hopkins has hosted the conference tournament.
One of Swarthmore's top players is Sarah Wallace, the conference leader in kills (392), kills per set (4.13) and points (444). Olivia Leventhal is another quality player for the Garnet with 271 kills. Malia Scott's 56 service aces are tops in the conference. The Garnet have four members with at least 200 digs in Sarah Girard, Madison Heppe, Wallace and Scott.
Khloe Martin paces the McDaniel Green Terror's offense with 281 kills (3.60 kills per set). McDaniel hit the ball soundly with two members, Lexi Corrall (.308) and Madeline Rose (.297) ranking among the conference's top ten in attack percentage. Taylor Bauman solidified the back line with 375 digs. Colette Kellen (410 assists) and Maddie Moyer (315) quarterback the offense for the Green Terror.
The volleyball team has been to the Centennial Conference playoffs 15 of the last 16 seasons with four conference championships (2006-09). The Fords have made four NCAA Tournament appearances including the first time as an at-large team last season. Haverford has won four of its last five matches against Swarthmore and is 32-20 all-time against the Garnet. The two teams have faced off three times in the playoffs with the Fords coming out on top twice, most recently in 2011.
For more information on this weekend's tournament, check out the Championship Central link at the top of the page.