SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (11-14) ended its 2023 season on Wednesday evening in the Centennial Conference quarterfinals at Tarble Pavilion, falling to Swarthmore's Garnet (16-9) in straight sets. The set scores for the match were 25-13, 25-13, and 25-15.
Gia Frank led Haverford with seven kills on just 10 swings, while Kayla Chu contributed 18 assists. Four different Haverford players achieved double-digit digs, with Juliet Young (14), Chu (12), Kira Chaney (10), and Téa Kuzbari (10) all reaching that milestone. Swarthmore managed to thwart many of Haverford's blocking attempts, but Jones added a pair of blocks, one solo and one in collaboration with Chu.
Swarthmore was led by Angelina Hemingway, who recorded 15 kills on 24 swings. Dani Pena played a vital role for the Garnet with 34 assists, while Jordan Perry contributed 12 kills, and Ellie Streeper added 20 digs.
The Fords fell behind early as the Garnet started the first set with a 7-2 run. A solo block from Hemingway set the tone as the Fords called for a timeout. The Garnet's lead eventually stretched to 18-5 as they hit an impressive .355 for the set, with just one error, while holding the Fords to a .154 clip. Haverford managed to stay in the game late, thanks to back-to-back kills from Eliana Brown. However, consecutive kills from Jordan Perry and Kaylee Zhang helped Swarthmore secure the first set 25-13.
The hosts cooled off slightly in the second set but still limited the Fords to a .118 hitting percentage, taking a 14-6 lead out of the gates. Back-to-back kills from Frank gave Haverford a glimmer of hope midway through the set, but Swarthmore responded with a 5-0 run to take control, leading 19-8. Brown interrupted that run with a kill, but with Ellie Streeper at the service line, a 4-0 run for the Garnet put Swarthmore ahead 23-9. A late 4-0 spurt for the Fords, with Kuzbari at the service line, was not enough as a block from Pena and Hemingway sealed the second set, once again at 25-13.
Haverford found themselves trailing 5-2 in the third set, and they had to battle from behind once more. A solo block from Jones narrowed the gap to 6-4. The Fords were still within two at 12-10, with a Swarthmore error setting the stage for another kill from Frank. Jones found the floor with a kill, reducing the Swarthmore lead to 14-11. However, the Garnet went on a 7-0 run to pull away. Three consecutive kills by Heminway brought the hosts to match point before Zhang sealed the set with a kill at 25-15.
Haverford concludes the 2023 season with its 19th appearance in the conference playoffs, an achievement made even more remarkable considering the squad did not feature a single senior. The Fords will return in 2024, hungry to take another significant step forward with their young roster.