HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (4-9) welcomed No. 19 Mary Washington (12-0) to Gooding '84 Arena for a midweek non-conference contest on Wednesday evening. The nationally-ranked Eagles took a match sweep, prevailing by set scores of 25-10, 25-14, and 25-18.
The first set saw Mary Washington start strong, hitting an impressive .318, while Haverford struggled with a negative hitting percentage at -.045 in the first stanza. Mary Washington jetted out on an 8-3 run to begin things, leading to a Haverford timeout. The Eagles run hit 11-4, but Haverford climbed back to within six at 13-7. A 4-0 Mary Washington run led to another Haverford timeout, and the Eagles were able to withstand kills from Kira Chaney and Gia Frank down the stretch, taking a 25-10 set victory.
The second frame began with the visitors on a 4-1 run, but Haverford rallied to trim that lead to 5-4 with a kill from Claire Jordan. Haverford was within three at 10-7 as Eliana Brown found the floor for a kill and Mary Washington committed an error. A 5-0 Mary Washington run prompted a Haverford timeout, and the visitors kept the Fords off guard, eventually prompting another Haverford timeout to regroup at 22-13 as Libby Potter and Jordan Lyons were integral in the stretch. A 4-0 run to end the set gave Mary Washington a 2-0 sets lead heading into the third.
Haverford had its best performance of the night in the third stanza, but Mary Washington was still too strong to overcome. The Fords were right in the contest early, with a 4-3 lead, but the Eagles turned the 4-3 deficit into a 14-6 lead with a big run fueled by Jordan Lyons and Chloe Crosen. Chaney tallied back-to-back kills to help the Fords back within six, and Haverford got back within five following a kill from Jones at 20-15. The Fords fended off three consecutive set points, with Chaney delivering a kill to sideout before Juliet Young registered an ace, but Mary Washington took a 25-18 set win to seal the victory.
Kayla Chu's 15 assists and Kira Chaney's seven kills were standout performances for the Fords. Elian Brown added six kills while Jones had three on just eight swings without committing an error. Jordan Lyons and Chloe Crosen had eight kills each, with Libby Potter adding six. Brenna Campbell paced the Eagles in assists with 12 while Hannah Livermon and Campbell each notched four service aces.
Mary Washington is off to its best start in program history, as the Eagles have won 12 in a row to begin the 2023 campaign.
Haverford will next launch the Centennial Conference season at home on Saturday, September 30 as the Fords host their annual Play With Pride match against Dickinson. First serve is slated for 1 p.m. inside Gooding '84 Arena.