HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (11-10, 4-4 CC)  was defeated in straight sets by Gettysburg (18-5, 4-4 CC) on Saturday afternoon inside Gooding Arena as the Bullets came away with the victory with set scores of 25-21, 25-17, 25-19. Prior to the match, Haverford honored its lone senior from the class of 2023, Kendall Otridge, in a short ceremony. Otridge, Haverford's senior captain, has been a stalwart leader for the program as she has appeared in all 82 matches since she arrived on Haverford's campus in the fall of 2019. 

First year Izabela Potocnjak added seven kills to lead the Fords while Taylor Jones added six to go with three blocks. Otridge notched three blocks and three digs in addition to a kill. Juliet Young (15 digs) was a defensive standout for the Fords while Cameryn DeBlecourt (12 assists) and Gabrielle Fontanilla (seven assists) helped to settle the offense into its rhythm. Alycen Radolovic notched a match-best 12 kills for the Bullets while Kyle Ulrich notched 10 against just three errors. Sophie Nasir (21 assists) and Kendall Erpenbeck (15 kills) were integral in keeping the Bullets in rhythm while Chelsea O'Leary (16 digs) and Zanze Kuba-McCoy (12 digs) were also standouts for the visitors.

The first set saw Gettysburg get out to a lead early, taking a 10-5 lead through the first 15 points to prompt a Haverford timeout. The Fords battled back, pulling to within two at 21-19 following a service ace from Tea Kuzbari, but Huegel and Radolovic added kills before Ulrich forced set point with a kill of her own. Eventually, Radolovic found the floor with a kill to end the stanza at 25-21 in favor of the visitors.

The second saw both sides swap points until a short run from the Bullets gave the visitors a 13-9 cushion. Using that lead to its advantage, Gettysburg extended the lead to 19-12 following a Catherine Holtz kill, and were looking to cruise down the stretch as kills from Potocnjack and Holland were not enough to derail a late run as Gettysburg added the final four points to take a 25-17 win.

In the third, Haverford stuck around with the Bullets in the early goings before a Gettysburg run hit 14-7. A big block from Jones and Otridge cut the lead to just five, but Gettysburg extended its lead to 22-214 following back-to-back blocks from Holtz and Heugel. From that point, a 5-0 Fords run gave the hosts some new life, but Kuba-McCoy and the blocking effort of Ulrich and Heugel secured the sweep for Gettysburg. 

With the race for playoff positioning heating up, the stretch run continues as the Centennial Conference regular season slate reaches its final week. The Fords will host Ursinus for Faculty Appreciation Night (7 p.m, Wednesday) before heading to Swarthmore on Saturday, October 29 for a 2 p.m. first serve with the rival Garnet.