GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Haverford College volleyball team (10-9) registered a split in its final tri-match of the season, storming back to defeat Arcadia by a 3-1 final after falling in straight sets to host Messiah in the morning matchup. The doubleheader action represented Haverford's final regular season non-conference matches of the 2022 season.
The victory over the Knights of Arcadia was the 100th in the career of Head Coach Drew Hargrave. Hargrave joins Ann Koger and Amy Bergin as the three Haverford coaches to reach 100 wins at the helm of the program.
Messiah 3, Haverford 0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-18)
In the first matchup of the day with Messiah, the Fords held an 18-14 lead late in the first set before the hosts rallied to tie things at 20-20, eventually taking the lead back at 21-20. Haverford had set point thanks to a kill off the overpass from Taylor Jones, but Messiah rallied to side out and fend off a first set loss with four straight points to grab the stunning 26-24 win.
Messiah continued that momentum into the second, jetting out on a 13-6 run as Mackenzie Feight and Chayney Barnhart helped key a big stretch. Haverford battled back to within two at 13-11 following an Eliana Brown kill, but a 9-0 run from the hosts put things out of reach for good.
The third saw both teams deadlocked through the first 36 points as the two sides were deadlocked 18-18. In a similar story to the first two sets, a big run from the Falcons proved to be the story of the set as Rachael Garratt helped oversee a big run at the service line while Barnhart was crucial in the 7-0 stretch to end things.
Kendall Otridge was an integral part of Haverford's offensive attack in that first matchup of the day, with 10 kills on 22 swings while Taylor Jones added seven and Caroline Lucas notched six. Haverford notched 10 blocks in the contest and added 12 service aces.
MacKenzie Feight had a match-best 16 kills for Messiah while Emma Swartz added 32 assists.
Haverford 3, Arcadia 1 (16-25, 25-23, 25-10, 25-15)
In the afternoon matchup with Arcadia, it was the Knights proving to be a force early, with a 9-4 run out of the gates to frustrate Haverford. The Fords could never catch up with Arcadia in the early goings, with Kelsi Warner sealing a 21-14 lead with a kill ahead of a run down the stretch with Nicole Dallara at the service line as Arcadiad took the 25-16 win.
Haverford rebounded in the second stanza, shaking off an 18-11 deficit as Arcadia looked strong yet again in the early goings. Kayla Chu helped oversee a big run at the service line, delivering an ace as Abby Holland made her season debut with a pair of kills in that stretch.
With Arcadia rallying back to a five-point cushion at 22-17, the Fords turned the stanza on its head with a big run down the stretch with a pair of Juliet Young service aces and kills from Taylor Jones and Claire Jordan. Haverford then delivered the set win with an emphatic block from Jones and Jordan at 25-23, climbing back from the brink to tie the match at 1-1.
The third saw the Fords jet out on another big run, taking a 7-1 lead behind a service ace from Jordan. The lead ballooned to 13-5 after an Izabela Potocnjak kill, and another big run put Haverford up 20-7 with Juliet Young again at the service line. A block from Jones and a kill from Potocnjak ended the third at 25-10. Haverford hit .448 in that stretch, with 15 kills against just two errors.
The fourth had a similar feel for the Fords, who seemed destined to win their third straight after shaking off Arcadia early. A 7-7 stalemate turned into a 13-8 Haverford lead as Sydney Rucker took her turn at the service line and got some help from Annibelle Ernst and Holland. Arcadia stuck around to pull to within six at 21-15, but back-to-back kills from Jordan came before another block from Jones and a kill from Holland to seal the victory.
Jones and Jordan each added 12 kills while Potocnjak chipped in 11. Jordan finished with a double-double, also adding 17 digs to her total. Holland had a very solid return with eight kills. Cameryn DeBlecourt (22 assists) and Chu (20 assists) helped run the offensive effectively against the Knights, while Juliet Young had a match-best 22 digs. Young and Jordan combined for eight of Haverford's 11 service aces.
The Fords now return to Centennial Conference play for the homestretch, with a matchup at Washington College slated for Wednesday, October 19 before the week concludes with Senior Day at home inside Gooding '84 Arena against Gettysburg on Saturday, October 22.