Signature Wins: The Fords stormed out of the gates to begin the 2019 campaign, taking the first 12 matches of the season, the longest overall winning streak for the program since the 2007 season. The run included three consecutive unblemished tournament performances. Haverford notched a five-set victory over Hunter (Sept. 7) in the final contest of the Ford Invitational, and grabbed a hard-fought 3-2 win over Stockton (Sept. 14), capping Muhlenberg's Buttermaker Tournament in an emphatic fashion. The Fords started conference play with a sweep of a formidable Muhlenberg side at home (Sept. 25), and later registered a come-from-behind road win at Gettysburg (Oct. 12). The Fords finished the regular season with four straight victories, a stretch that included a four-set triumph at Dickinson (Oct. 26) and a Senior Day win over Hood Trophy rival Swarthmore (Nov. 2) that propelled the Fords into first-round hosting privileges in the Centennial Conference tournament rematch with the Garnet.
Awards:
- AVCA All-American: Sara Matsumura (honorable mention)
- AVCA All-Region: Sara Matsumura (first team)
- All-Centennial Conference: Sara Matsumura (first team), Julia Gallagher-Teske (honorable mention), Dina Kosyagin (honorable mention)
- Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Christine Anderson, Sara Hunsberger, Dina Kosyagin, Sara Matsumura, Sydney Miller, Claire Nicholas, Riley Outen, Isabel Schwam
- Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team: Sara Matsumura
- Centennial Conference Player of the Week: Sara Matsumura (9/10)
Season Notes: Haverford finished with 20 wins for the first time since the 2015 season … Haverford's 22 wins were the most for the program in a single season since 2014 … The Fords returned to the Centennial Conference tournament for the 17th time in the last 20 seasons … Haverford went 4-0 at its Labor Day Haverford Invitational for the first time since 2009 … The Fords won the first 12 games of the season, eclipsing their win total from a season ago before dropping a match … Julia Gallagher-Teske finished her Haverford career with a school-record 426 total blocks. The total is also sixth in the history of the Centennial Conference … Sara Matsumura becomes the first Haverford player to garner inclusion on an All-America list since Meg O'Day was named an honorable mention in 2015 … Matsumura is the 10th AVCA All-American in program history … Matsumura was named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship team for the fourth consecutive season, becoming the first player in program history to earn that distinction four times since the introduction of the plaudit to the conference's postseason awards offerings in 2009.
Looking Ahead: Haverford will be tasked with replacing a pair of program cornerstones in Sara Matsumura and Julia Gallagher-Teske, as the pair both reached rarefied air within the history of Haverford Volleyball. A junior class that includes setter Sydney Miller and outside hitter Madison Adore will look to take another step forward as the pair both had memorable seasons in 2019. All-Centennial Conference selection Dina Kosyagin will be just a junior after ranking second in the Centennial Conference in kills and kills per set in her sophomore season. Defensively, the Fords will rely on increased contributions from Elena Filograna and Isabel Schwam as Kendall Robison leaves to graduation. First years Kendall Otridge and Lindsey Keener both saw extended action in their initial seasons at Haverford and will take that experience into the 2020 season eager to see the postseason yet again.