GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (6-10, 1-1 CC) split a tri-match at Gettysburg on Saturday afternoon, falling to the host Bullets, 3-0 in the Centennial Conference match before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory over DeSales in the neutral site non-conference battle. Taylor Jones finished the day with 25 kills, including a career-best 18 against DeSales, hitting .543 on the day with no errors on 46 swings.
Gettysburg 3, Haverford 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-23)
The Bullets (14-4, 2-1 CC) proved to be a tough matchup for Haverford in the noon match. The Fords hung tough with the Bullets in the early goings, as the two sides traded runs in the first set. Haverford was within one at 16-15 before the Bullets went on a jaunt to take a 20-16 advantage, leading to a Haverford timeout. A trio of Gettysburg errors helped the Fords inch a bit closer, but kills from Mary Huegel and Kylie Ulrich down the stretch handed the hosts the first set.
In the second, Haverford got out to an early 9-7 lead before the Bullets charged back with a 6-0 spurt, taking a 13-9 advantage. Eventually, the Gettysburg lead was 15-10 following a key block from Brooke Lauletta and Olivia Biggs before a kill from Ulrich. The successful stretch for Gettysburg prompted a Haverford timeout which seemed to turn the tide, as the Fords rallied behind kills from Kira Chaney and Taylor Jones before a pair of miscues from Gettysburg pulled the visitors back within one at 17-16. A big 6-0 run from the hosts put Haverford on the brink at 23-16, and after Izabela Potocnjak and Jordan kept Haverford within four with a block, Brooke Lauletta ended the second frame with a kill.
In the third, the Fords looked to have a strong opportunity to grab the set, with an 18-15 lead thanks to strong early play from Chaney and Jones while Jordan and Potocnjak each contributed early service aces. The hosts charged back, tying the score at 21-21 before each team then traded points. Back-to-back errors gave Gettysburg late life, and Alycen Radolovic found the floor with a kill to give Gettysburg match point. A service error from the Fords eventually sealed the victory for the Bullets.
Chaney paced the Fords, punching down 10 kills, reaching double-figures in kills for the third consecutive match. Jones added seven kills and hit a match-best .467. Gettysburg hit .189 for the match while holding the Fords to an .098 hitting percentage. Juliet Young grabbed 29 digs, and Kayla Chu added 25 assists. Haverford registered eight service aces.
Haverford 3, DeSales 1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-8)
In the neutral site match that followed, Haverford found its rhythm hitting .243 and holding the visitors to a .142 hitting percentage. Jones had a stellar outing, with a career-best 18 kills and a .581 hitting percentage, going without an attack error on 31 swings. Jones joined Chaney, who added yet another double-digit kill total (13 on 34 swings) to double-digit digs (16) in the victory. Young tallied 22 digs and Kayla Chu added a career-best 45 assists.
The first frame saw the Fords jet out to a 15-10 run to begin things, before DeSales battled to pull back within one at 16-16. Kayla Chu and Eliana Brown both did well to give the Fords a three-point cushion, and Haverford was back in control up three at 24-21 after three consecutive kills from Jones. Jordan ended the set at 25-23, finding the floor with a kill.
DeSales looked to be the stronger team in the second, as Haverford fell behind 10-3 in the early goings. A key blocking effort from Potocnjak and Brown put the Fords back within four, but the Bulldogs opened things up at 18-8, eventually having just enough to fend off Haverford as the Fords got back within one late on a Chaney kill. Samantha Worontzoff ended things at 25-23 yet again, this time in favor of the visitors.
The Fords shook off the set loss, and went back to work despite facing a 17-14 deficit. A Chaney kill tied the score at 19-19, and Jones was also integral as she put the Fords ahead 23-21 with a kill. Jones and Caroline Lucas found the floor on consecutive points to put Haverford up 2-1 in the match with yet another 25-23 decision.
In the fourth, Haverford jetted out on an 11-2 run to begin play. The Fords stretched that advantage to 16-4 following consecutive service aces from Juliet Young. The lead was 21-7 as Sydney Rucker delivered an ace, and crucial errors down the stretch from the Bulldogs put things out of reach as Jones notched a solo block to seal the victory.
Haverford added 15 service aces, and a season-high 52 assists in the match. Delanie Zohler (15 kills, 11 digs) paced the Bulldogs, who tallied 67 total digs to match the Fords. Zohler also added four service aces.
The Fords will return to action on Wednesday, heading to Washington College for a 7 p.m. first serve with the Shorewomen. The Fords are then at home on Saturday, October 14 at 1 p.m. against No. 9 Johns Hopkins.