HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College Volleyball team (9-8, 3-3 CC) was defeated by visiting Muhlenberg (11-8, 3-3 CC) on Wednesday, falling by a 3-1 final inside Gooding Arena in a Centennial Conference midweek matchup. Set scores for the evening were 23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 26-24.
Caroline Lucas (career-best 12 kills) and Taylor Jones (10 kills, three total blocks) had strong performances for the Fords up front, while Gabrielle Fontanilla (24 assists) and Cameryn DeBlecourt (17 assists) again took turns running the offense. Juliet Young notched 38 digs, a new career-best for Haverford's reigning All-American. Eliana Brown (15 digs) and DeBlecourt (14) also notched double-digits in the category.
Muhlenberg's Esmae Oehler and Isabella Pontrelli were both integral up front for the Mules, with 12 and 11 kills, respectively, while Rachel Jacobs made her presence felt with 11 kills to her ledger. Emma Eglinton (42 assists) was also a crucial component to the visitors, who had four players register double-digit digs in the match.
Haverford took the first set behind a strong performance from Jones in the middle as the hosts jetted out to an early 11-5 lead following a kill from Lucas. Muhlenberg stuck around to make things interesting, but eventually, the Fords put away the stanza as an attack error and a kill off an overpass from Izabela Potocnjak settled things at 25-23. The second frame went back to the Mules, with Haverford hanging right in the set with things tied at 15-15 before Muhlenberg pulled away with a big run down the stretch, taking a 21-16 lead with Caleya Tereska at the service line, ending things with Oehler grabbing a kill at 25-20.
The third stanza was another very close set, with the score deadlocked at 19-19 before a 4-0 run from the visitors opened up some separation. Haverford battled back with an emphatic block from Lucas and Elliott, and Haverford later prompted a Muhlenberg timeout clinging to a one-point lead at 23-22, but strong passing from Alyssa Faville and Eglinton put the set out of reach as Jacobs was set up to finish the third with a kill.
In the fourth, Muhlenberg rallied back with Haverford having set-point following a kill from Taylor Jones at 24-22. A strong blocking effort from Jacobs and Pontrelli prompted a Haverford timeout with the visitors earning a crucial side out. Suddenly the Mules had all the momentum again with the score tied 24-24. A service ace from Christina Dalton then set the stage for a long rally that culminated with the libero, Faville, delivering an unlikely kill with a well-timed push from the back row to send the visitors to the victory.
Haverford now takes a brief excursion from conference play, as the Fords head to a tri-match at Messiah on Saturday, October 15. The Fords will play the host Falcons at 11 a.m. before returning to face Arcadia at approximately 1 p.m.