ST. DAVIDS, Pa. — The Haverford College volleyball team (4-1) hit the road for the first time in the 2024 season, making the short trip up the Main Line to face local rival Eastern (4-1) in a highly anticipated Friday night matchup at the Eastern Gymnasium. In a five-set thriller, the Fords emerged victorious, handing Eastern, a team receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll, its first home loss since October 30, 2021. The set scores were 25-20, 19-25, 25-20, 16-25, 15-13. The epic contest featured 26 ties and 11 lead changes.
Haverford was led by a standout performance from Eliana Brown, who recorded a team-high 13 kills and 25 digs in a double-double effort. Izabela Potocnjak contributed nine kills, and Gia Frank added eight. Kira Chaney had 15 digs, while Kaya Chu added 10. Cameryn Deblecourt recorded 21 assists, and Chu tallied 13 in another double-double effort. Taylor Jones was a force in the middle, registering nine blocks as the Fords collectively amassed 13 blocks.
In the first set, Eastern started strong, taking a 4-0 lead before the Fords evened the score at 6-6. The two sides were tied again at 9-9 following a kill by Logan Martin. Haverford then fell behind 13-9, but a kill from Brown cut the deficit to 13-11. The Eagles managed to maintain and even grow their lead, pulling ahead 20-15. However, the Fords unleashed a monster 10-0 run to seize control of the set. With Potocnjak serving, the Fords looked unstoppable, with Brown and Jones connecting on a crucial block. Jones and Lucas followed with another block on the next point, narrowing the gap to 20-18. Brown added four more kills, and Eastern committed some critical errors, allowing Haverford to take the set 25-23.
Eastern responded in the second set, determined not to repeat the mistakes of the first. The hosts commanded the set, leading 19-12, and secured a 25-19 victory to even the match at 1-1.
In the third set, Haverford and Eastern exchanged points, with the score tied at 14-14 following a kill from Jones. Haverford briefly took the lead 17-14 on a solo block by Jones, but the Eagles stayed close, pulling back to within one at 20-19. A 3-0 Haverford run gave the Fords a 23-19 cushion, with consecutive kills from Brown and Fiona Moord in the stretch, followed by a final pair of kills from Frank and Potocnjak to win 25-20.
Eastern came out strong in the fourth set, taking an early lead and eventually winning 25-16 to force a decisive fifth set, as the two teams with a flair for the dramatics headed into a winner-take-all scenario.
In the fifth set, Haverford was the first team to gain a multiple-point lead, charging out to a 2-0 advantage and later extending the lead to 7-4 with a kill from Potocnjak. Eastern, buoyed by a charged-up home crowd, closed the gap to 7-6. Haverford maintained its lead throughout the closeout set, despite Eastern's efforts to equalize after the 3-3 mark. Brown delivered several key kills, and a combined block by Brown and Moord prompted an Eastern timeout with the Fords ahead 11-8. Although the Eagles rallied briefly following a Haverford service error, Potocnjak sealed set point with a decisive kill, and an error from Eastern secured the Fords' victory.
Hannah Pringle was a standout for Eastern, recording 20 kills, while Logan Martin added 16 and Bridgette Kelly tallied 13. Elle Jiron-Bujanda had a game-best 43 assists, and Grace Casagrande contributed 35 digs and five service aces.
Haverford's win marks its first victory at Eastern since a 3-1 triumph on October 15, 2021. Two of the Eagles' last three home losses have been to the Fords, who also defeated Eastern at home on October 30, 2021.
The Fords now face a quick turnaround as they head to Grantham, Pa., for a tri-match on Saturday against the host Messiah Falcons at 11 a.m., followed by a match against Virginia Wesleyan at 1 p.m. Live video streaming for both matches will be available via the MAC Digital Network.