GETTYSBURG, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (13-13) was defeated by the host Bullets (23-4) in the Centennial Conference First Round on Wednesday evening at Gettysburg's Bream Gymnasium. Set scores for the match were 25-17, 21-25, 27-25, 25-20.
Reigning Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week Gia Frank had a match-best 17 kills on 36 attacks (.361), while Frank added seven total blocks, matching teammate Fiona Moord in that category to pace the Fords.
Eliana Brown had 12 digs while Cameryn DeBlecourt tallied 23 assists. Dasha Igonin contributed three service aces. Taylor Jones pulled into second in Haverford career history for total blocks with six as she finished her Haverford tenure with 354. Jones also added eight kills. Alycen Radolovic paced the Bullets with 16 kills, as Nala Shearer contributed 21 digs. Kendall Erpenbeck had 28 assists for the hosts, while contributing a trio of service aces. Gianna Galli and Mary Huegel each tallied four total blocks for the Bullets.
The Fords started the opening set by grabbing the first two points, eventually climbing out on a brief 3-1 run. Gettysburg took a 12-6 lead following a pair of kills from Erin Gonzalez, and Haverford called for its second timeout of the frame down 16-8. The Bullets extended the lead to 21-11 before a 4-0 Haverford put the Fords a bit closer, as a solo block from Jones served as a prelude to a block from Moord and Lucas.
Moord then contributed a kill before the hosts responded with a 3-0 spurt to claim set point at 24-15. The Fords fended off a pair of set points as Brown and Moord teamed up for a block, but the Bullets were able to grab the initial set at 25-17.
Haverford began the second set on a 5-0 run, with the block again coming up huge as Moord and Frank delivered a stoppage ahead of another kill from Moord. The lead reached 8-3 as Gettysburg called for timeout. Jones and Frank teamed up for a block, and Jones delivered a solo block out of the stoppage as the visitors were cruising early. The Fords continued to step on the gas with a kill from Gia Frank extending the spurt to 10-3.
Gettysburg pulled back to within five at 14-8, but the Fords kept the hot streak going, prompting another Gettysburg timeout up by seven at 18-11 as Frank and Izabela Potocnjak found the floor with kills in a 3-0 run. Haverford called for timeout as the Bullets responded with a 4-0 spurt of their own to pull back within three as the Fords errors began to stack up. The run reached 7-0 as Gettysburg knotted things at 18-18, and Gettysburg briefly took a one-point lead before an Erin Gonzalez service error gave Igonin serve. Igonin delivered three consecutive aces, and Frank added a kill to prompt a timeout. After a Gettysburg error, a Kayla Chu error put the Fords into the win column in set two.
Set three featured seven ties and three lead changes began with Gettysburg on a 10-5 spurt, prompting a Haverford timeout. The Fords climbed back to within four at 15-11, and eventually climbed further, suddenly within just two at 16-14, prompting a Gettysburg timeout after Jones wrapped a kill around a service ace from Potocnjak and a Gettysburg error. Moord delivered a first-ball kill to put the Fords within two at 18-16, and Haverford trimmed the lead to just one at 18-17 with Jones at the service line. Moord and Brown combined for a block to put Haverford back within one yet again, this time at 20-19, before Moord and Frank tied the score at 20-20 with an emphatic block.
Frank and DeBlecourt connected on back-to-back kills as Haverford regained the lead at 22-21, and Frank then put the Fords at set point with a 2-0 run of her own with her 12th and 13th kills of the night, lighting up the Haverford bench. From that point, Gettysburg found some late life, using a 3-0 run to knot things at 24-24. A Potocnjak kill gave the Fords a crucial set point, but Gettysburg was able to side out, kickstarting a 3-0 run to claim the set.
In the early goings of the fourth frame, the Fords were right in the mix with the Bullets after a solo block from Brown pulled the Fords back within one at 10-9. Gettysburg went on a quick 3-0 run, but the Fords within one at 13-12 following a kill from Moord. Gettysburg expanded its lead to 17-13, prompting a Haverford timeout. The Fords responded, trimming the Bullets lead back down to just one at 19-18 as Eliana Brown found the floor with a crafty kill to prompt the first Gettysburg timeout of the frame.
Out of the stoppage, Gettysburg went on a 3-0 run to take some momentum up 22-18. Haverford earned a point on an error, but the Bullets had match point at 24-19. Moord delivered a kill to fend off the first match point of the evening, but Erin Gonzalez sealed her team's victory with a kill at 25-20.
Haverford concludes the season with a 13-13 overall record and a 6-4 mark in the Centennial Conference. Making their second consecutive appearance in the Centennial Conference Tournament, and third in four seasons, the Fords aim to build on this strong season as they look to take another step forward in 2025.