HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team put up a strong fight but ultimately fell 3-1 (19-25, 22-25, 25-16, 24-26) to Centennial Conference foe Gettysburg on Saturday afternoon at Gooding '84 Arena.
The Fords (8-9, 1-1 CC) rallied to take the third set convincingly and nearly forced a deciding fifth set, but Gettysburg (16-2, 2-1 CC), a team receiving votes in the latest AVCA poll, closed out the match in a nail-biting fourth set.
Haverford was led by Gia Frank, who recorded a match-high and career-best 16 kills with a .419 hitting percentage. Eliana Brown contributed with a double-double, logging 12 kills and 11 digs, while Taylor Jones added 11 kills and three blocks. Setter Cameryn DeBlecourt distributed a career-high 26 assists, and Kira Chaney anchored the defense with 14 digs and a pair of service aces.
In the first set, Gettysburg hit .229 while holding the Fords to a .152 clip. The two teams were deadlocked early, but Gettysburg turned a 6-9 deficit into a 13-9 advantage with a 7-0 run. Although Haverford found a spurt to close the gap to two points following a Kira Chaney service ace at 16-14, Gettysburg ultimately extended the lead. Back-to-back kills from Izabela Potocnjak brought the Fords within two points again, but a service ace by Nala Shearer gave Gettysburg a four-point edge. Despite a late kill from Jones to narrow the gap to three, Gettysburg proved too strong, with Erin Gonzalez and Kendall Erpenbeck securing a 25-19 victory.
In the second set, Gettysburg jumped ahead 9-5 and later 13-7. The Fords fought back to close within four at 18-14, but consecutive kills from Gonzalez pushed Gettysburg's lead to 20-14, prompting a Haverford timeout. From there, Haverford found another gear, with Gia Frank delivering three crucial kills and Chaney adding a service ace to bring the Fords within just one. Potocnjak's kill cut Gettysburg's lead to 23-22, but the visitors held on to win 25-22.
Haverford surged in the third set, with strong performances from Frank and Brown helping anchor the comeback bid. The Fords took a 15-10 lead following a Fiona Moord kill and extended their advantage with a 5-1 run to command a 23-15 lead. Moord and Brown added key kills to send the match into a fourth set.
In the fourth set, the Fords held a late lead but couldn't fend off a Gettysburg comeback, as the Bullets edged them 26-24. Both teams battled in a back-and-forth contest, with Haverford pulling ahead 16-12 after several attack errors from Gettysburg. A Bullets run forced a Haverford timeout as Gettysburg closed the gap to one. The teams were tied at 19-19 and remained locked at 20-20, 21-21, 22-22, 23-23, and 24-24. In a thrilling conclusion, Sophie Nasir set up match point for Gettysburg at 25-24, and an attack error from Haverford sealed the 26-24 victory for the Bullets.
Gettysburg was paced by Clare Farrell, who added 14 kills while Erin Gonzalez, Catherine Holtz, and Mary Huegel tallied 10 kills each. Kendall Erpenbeck and Sophie Nasir each contributed 26 assists.
Haverford continues its two-match home stretch, hosting Washington College on Wednesday, October 16, at 7 p.m. inside Gooding '84 Arena.