HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (4-3) fell in  a pair of five-set heartbreakers on Saturday, falling to a pair of teams receiving votes in the latest AVCA Coaches’ Poll. The Fords dropepd a 3-2 decision to Springfield in the morning match before being stunned by SUNY Cortland in the afternoon session by a 3-2 final. Taylor Jones contributed 10 total blocks in the second match with SUNY Cortland, tied for the second-most blocks in Haverford single-match history. Her 10 assisted blocks are also the most in a five-set match in program history. Jones was named to the Ford Invitational All-Tournament team for her efforts. 

Springfield 3, Haverford 2 (20-25, 25-12, 25-22, 23-25, 15-8)

Haverford opened up play with a 25-20 victory over the Pride, thanks in part to a strong hitting effort out of the gates. The Fords opened up on an 11-5 run with Juliet Young helping to lead things at the service line. Springfield called for timeout down 11-5, and Haverford then sprinted out to an 18-7 lead keyed by strong attacking from Izabela Potcnjak. Springfield rallied back to cut the lead to within three, but the Fords then were able to close the set out with Jadyn Elliott and Eliana Brown delivering in key moments late in the stanza. 

The second got away from the Fords early, as Springfield cruised to a 25-12 victory. The third was a bit closer, but Springfield got out to a 17-9 lead before the Fords rallied behind Brown at the service line. Annibelle Ernst and Kendall Otridge teamed up for a pair of big blocks as Haverford was back within one at 21-20. Springfield rattled off three of the final five points to take the 2-1 lead in the overall match. With their backs against the wall, Haverford displayed renewed energy in the fourth set, hanging tough with Springfield. The Pride had a late spurt to even the score at 19-19, but Taylor Jones and Cameryn DeBlecourt connected on key kills down the stretch to set up a decisive fifth set. 

In the fifth, Springfield went ahead 4-2 behind Ford Invitational Tournament MVP Riley Donahue,, but Haverford again had an answer, with Elliott and Brown delivering kills and Jones notching a service ace to tie things early at 5-5. With Donahue at the service line, the Pride regained the lead and would not relinquish it, ending the contest on a 7-1 run. Potocnjak and Brown each had 11 kills on the match. Brown tallied a double-double adding 13 digs while Juliet Young notched five assists to go with 16 digs. Sydney Rucker also notched 13 digs of her own. DeBlecourt (16) and Kayla Chu (13) combined for 29 of Haverford’s 34 assists.

Ernst led the way with four total blocks. Donahue was the difference maker for Springfield with 21 total kills and 17 digs. Stafford added 30 assists in the match. 

SUNY Cortland 3, Haverford 2 (21-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 17-15)

In the second matchup of the day, Haverford had all of the momentum out of the gates, jumping to a 2-0 lead behind some hot hitting stanzas. In the first frame, the Fords hit .256 with 14 kills against just four errors, pulling to an early 11-6 lead and eventually fending off a late Cortland rally. Brown was a force at the service line in the stretch. The Fords opened up the second with a 7-3 run, and lengthened the lead to 19-13 as Ernst finished a kill. The lead ballooned to 10 with Young and DeBlecourt helping to key a late run before a service ace from DeBlecourt ended the set at 25-15. 

Haverford had designs on a sweep with a 20-11 lead in the third set, but Cortland rallied with a 7-0 run to pull back to within two at 20-18. Another Cortland run gave the visitors the lead as a 4-0 spurt saw the Red Dragons earn set point before Alexa Guedez forced a fourth set with a kill.

Another back-and-forth stretch in the fourth came before the Fords gained some separation with an 8-0 run to take a 19-11 advantage. Undaunted, Cortland again had an answer, tying the score at 22-22 with a scorching hot run. A service ace from Meadow Wittman put Cortland ahead by one at 23-22, and Guedez forced a set point with her kill. Giovanna Rossi then ended things at 25-23 to even the match score at 2-2.

The fifth took extra points with both sides continuing the epic battle deep into the afternoon. A 3-0 Cortland lead was instantly erased as the Haverford block again came up huge, but Cortland had an answer, swapping points with the Fords as things were tied at 10-10 and 13-13. Haverford had match point at 14-13, but Cortland deftly fended that off and grabbed match point of their own at 15-14. Haverford again had an answer to tie it back up at 15-15, before Cortland’s second match point of the set came swiftly at 16-15. This time, the Red Dragons converted, with Guedez earning the kill to complete the reverse sweep to stun Haverford. 

The Fords had three players notch 12 kills (Brown, Jones, and Claire Jordan). Jones secured the double-double with 10 blocks to her ledger, while Elliott (6), Ernst (5), and Jordan (4) were also a huge part of that defensive effort. DeBlecourt (24 assists) joined Gabrielle Fontanilla (18 assists) in keying the passing game. Brown tallied six service aces to go with 11 digs, while Young (17) and Rucker (17) tied for the team lead in the category. 

Zoe Staats had a game-best 18 kills for SUNY Cortland, with Guedez (15) and Allie Sturgess (10) also reaching double digits in the category. Mikenzie Martins grabbed 27 digs while Megan McMahon (17) and Wittman (18) were the leading assisters. 

Haverford will now return to action on Friday, as the Fords head to Oberlin, Ohio and the Oberlin Invite. The first game of the weekend will be a 7 p.m. contest with John Carroll.