HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College volleyball team (1-1) recorded a split on the first day of the season, opening the Haverford Invitational with a 3-2 win over Cabrini (0-1) before falling by an identical 3-2 score to Elizabethtown (2-0) as the 2022 season began in earnest at Gooding '84 Arena.
Haverford 3, Cabrini 2 (25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 24-26, 15-12)
The Fords denied the Cavaliers attempt at a reverse sweep after dispatching the visitors in the first two sets. Haverford and Cabrini were locked in a defensive tussle to begin things with the Fords erasing an early 12-5 lead for the Cavs behind some strong play from a talented group of rookies making their collegiate debuts. Eliana Brown put the Fords up by two late with Claire Jordan at the service line, and Haverford then called upon its senior in Kendall Otridge to deliver the first set with an emphatic kill.
The two sides were deadlocked in the second frame until a 3-1 run keyed by strong play from Cameryn DeBlecourt and Jordan put the Fords up 18-13. The Fords fell behind 23-21 as the Cabrini blocking effort largely matched Haverford's output in the frame, but Haverford pulled itself out of that early jam with Taylor Jones and Otridge connecting on a block to side out and Brown and Jones then following with a block to knot the score at 23-23. A pair of Cabrini errors delivered the set victory to Haverford, as well as a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third stanza went to Cabrini despite the Fords holding a 20-15 lead. Haverford was unable to hold on to that late advantage as Cabrini rattled off a 9-1 run down the stretch to force a fourth set. In the fourth, Haverford again went ahead 20-15, with Otridge and Jones proving why they were named captains with some clutch plays down the stretch, keeping a young team settled while the lead ballooned to 21-15.
Unfortunately, Cabrini got right back into things, unleashing another big run behind a star turn from Taylor Downing at the service line. It was an 8-1 Cavaliers stretch that put Cabrini ahead at 23-22, before the teams traded points down the stretch. The frame required extra points as back-to-back kills from Jadyn Elliott and Otridge put the Fords on the brink of a match victory. Cabrini fought back valiantly to tie it, and eventually gained serve back with Jessie Donovan on the line as a block forced a fifth set and fired up the small but vocal contingent of Cabrini supporters who made the jaunt down the Main Line.
The fifth set was a chance for Haverford to regroup and prove its mettle, sprinting out to a 6-3 advantage. The lead eventually hit 12-5 following back-to-back Cabrini errors, but the hosts sealed the win at 15-12 after one last-ditch Cabrini run. Otridge paced the Ford switch 13 kills in the win, while Brown (nine) and Izabela Potocnjak (eight) had standout debuts. DeBlecourt was vital with 21 assists and four service aces, while Kayla Chu added 18 assists and three service aces.
All-American libero Juliet Young was one of three Haverford players with double-digit digs, pitching in 20. The blocking effort was led by seven total blocks from Jones and four from Otridge.
Elizabethtown 3, Haverford 2 (25-18, 24-26, 20-25, 25-13, 15-11)
In the second match of the night, Elizabethtown came out on fire, taking the first set behind a .333 hitting percentage, notching 14 kills against just two errors. Haverford rallied back for a 26-24 win in the second, coming back from the brink as two crucial points following a late timeout were delivered by way of the block, with Elliott and Otridge teaming up for one and Elliott joining Jordan for another for the 26-24 victory.
In the third, Haverford looked to finally be in a strong rhythm with a 6-2 lead out of the gates behind a stalwart effort from Brown at the service line. A pair of solo blocks from Jones helped set the rhythm for that stretch. Elizabethtown battled back, pulling to within four in the early goings and eventually taking control of the set yet again with a 7-0 run. The stretch prompted a Haverford timeout suddenly down three at 17-14. Haverford responded with a run of its own, taking a 19-17 lead after two consecutive service aces. A 5-3 Fords' spurt sent the contest to a fourth set with the Fords in the lead at 2-1.
Elizabethtown pulled ahead 15-6 in the fourth, holding Haverford to a negative hitting percentage as the visitors cruised at 25-13 to force a fifth set. That fifth set later featured Elizabethtown getting out to an 8-3 lead to begin things, continuing the hot stretch from the fourth. Undaunted, Haverford went to work to tie the score at 8-8 with Otridge, Jones, and Elliott all proving to be crucial on the block while DeBlecourt and Potocnjak also were key contributors in the frame. Quick back-to-back Elizabethtown points set the tone at 11-9, forcing another Haverford timeout, and the pacing benefited the visitors down the stretch, with a key block in the final moments sealing the 15-11 win for the Blue Jays.
Potocnjak and Otridge each had 10 kills in the nightcap, while Chu (19 assists) and DeBlecourt were vital in the passing game (13 assists). Sydney Rucker saw a wealth of playing time in the second match, adding 17 digs on her collegiate debut night. Jones again was a brick wall up front for Haverford, with seven total blocks and nine kills to her ledger.
The Fords will now return to action tomorrow as action concludes at the Haverford Invitational. The first serve against Stockton is slated for 11 a.m. before the Fords return for the finale against New Jersey City (2 p.m.)