OBERLIN, Ohio - The Haverford College women's volleyball team went on the road for the first time in the 2022 season, competing on the opening day of action at the Oberlin Invite in the Buckeye State. The Fords (4-4) dropped their opening contest at the weekend tournament to John Carroll (6-3), falling in straight sets (26-24, 25-13, 25-19).
In a back-and-forth first set, both teams hit .263, with the Blue Streaks getting out on an early run, taking control of the first set's early rhythm. The Fords rallied back with a spurt of their own to pull back to within two at 10-8. JCU went on another brief run to go ahead 13-8, but the Fords closed in behind Eliana Brown and Taylor Jones before a Sydney Rucker service ace pulled Haverford to within one at 15-14.
The rest of the frame was characterized by short runs by both sides, with Cameryn DeBlecourt notching a service ace to tie things at 21-21. Eventually a strong presence down the stretch from Cassi Calamunci helped John Carroll escape in extra points, 26-24.
The Fords were right with Blue Streaks through much of the early goings of the second frame, with Jones and DeBlecourt teaming up for a kill as Haverford was within two at 10-8. John Carroll then rattled off a 10-3 run to wrestle control of the frame, taking a 25-13 victory behind a match-best .400 hitting percentage in the stanza.
The third again saw John Carroll on a solid run to begin things, going up 6-2 before the Fords battled back to within two. Haverford used a run with Taylor Jones on the service line to pull back within one at 15-14, but the Blue Streaks soon opened up a 20-16 lead, and Steph Conley and notched three consecutive kills to put her squad on the doorstep of clinching the match before Kendra Dziubinski found the floor with a kill to clinch the sweep.
Jones had seven kills to pace Haverford, while Juliet Young notched 16 digs. Cameryn DeBlecourt added 12 assists while Kayla Chu had three. Brown notched five kills and three service aces. Calamunci had a match-best 15 kills on just 29 swings (.448) while Jessica Liddle (.538, seven kills) and Ally Bartolone (18 assists, four service aces) were also standouts for John Carroll.
Haverford is in the midst of its first trip to the state of Ohio in program history. The matchup was the first for the two sides since the 2017 Haverford Invitational.
Volleyball now returns to action tomorrow, taking on the host Oberlin (11 a.m.) and Chatham (1 p.m.) to wrap up the stint at the Oberlin Invite.