ST DAVIDS, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (4-8) made the quick trip up Lancaster Avenue to Eastern for a non-conference Tri-Match on Saturday, falling to the host Eagles in three sets before responding in the second match of the day by sweeping Penn State Berks to secure a split.
Eastern 3, Haverford 0 (25-5, 25-9, 25-14)
Eastern put together a nearly perfect first set to open the day at home, hitting .789 against the Fords, who struggled for early answers as the hosts opened up a 13-2 run en-route to victory.
The second set was another hot start for the Eagles, who started on a 4-0 run and eventually sprinted out to an 8-2 advantage. Haverford got back to within five at 10-5 after a pair of kills from Taylor Jones, but a big run for the hosts with Viviana Fragoso at the service line put Eastern up 21-6 before the hosts cruised to a 25-9 win.
The third saw Haverford fall behind early again, at 8-2, but the Fords responded to trim the lead to just two at 11-9 as Claire Jordan and Izabela Potcnjak had back-to-back kills. A 4-0 Eastern run gave the hosts some breathing room, but Jordan and Jones added kills to keep the Fords within striking distance. Eastern went on another run to close things out, however, turning a 19-14 lead into a 25-14 set victory to seal the sweep.
Young reached double-digit digs, notching 10, while Eliana Brown and Jones each recorded a block. Hannah Pringle had a game-best 11 kills for Eastern, while Elle Jiron-Bujanda added 31 assists.
Haverford 3, Penn State Berks 0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-17)
Haverford wasted no time shaking off the morning loss, jetting out to a commanding 15-5 lead on PSU Berks. Haverford saw strong play from Jordan in the stretch, as Eliana Brown and Kayla Chu also added kills in that strong start. Haverford eventually stretched the lead to 21-9 after back-to-back service aces from Kira Chaney, and cruised to a 25-15 win behind key kill from Gia Frank and Chaney down the stretch.
The second set again saw Haverford cruising to open things, taking a 13-4 lead with Dasha Igonin overseeing a 9-0 run at the service line. A Chaney service ace at 20-8 put the Fords on the brink, and kills from Jordan, Potocnjak and Frank helped seal a 25-12 win, putting Haverford in control up 2-0.
The third set was slightly more evenly matched in the early goings, as the two teams were deadlocked at 6-6. Haverford unleashed a 5-0 run with Caroline Lucas, Chu, and Jones all recording kills in the stretch. The Lions were back within five as late as 20-15, but a 4-1 stretch gave the Fords set point before Jordan ended the afternoon with a kill at 25-17.
For the match, Haverford outhit their opponents .378 to .125, a season-best for hitting percentage. The Fords also tallied a season-low five errors on 98 total swings. Jordan was everywhere for Haverford, with a career-high 15 kills. Igonin and Chaney each added five service aces, while Young added 19 digs. Chu (21 assists) supplemented Igonin (13) in the passing effort.
Penn State Berks was led by Jordan Thompson with eight kills. Makenzie Shoop added 11 digs while Libby Swoyer was the primary setter, tallying 24 assists for the lions.
Haverford now returns to action on Wednesday at home, with another tough challenge lined up as No. 21 Mary Washington (11-0) comes to campus for a 7 p.m. first serve inside Gooding Arena.