BALTIMORE - The Haverford College volleyball team (8-6, 2-1 CC) was defeated in a pair of matches on Saturday at Goldfarb Gymnasium on the campus of Johns Hopkins. The Fords dropped a Centennial Conference matchup to Johns Hopkins by a 3-1 final, before falling in a five-set battle to York in the non-conference match that followed. 

(RV) Johns Hopkins 3, Haverford 1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 25-15) 

In the matchup with the Blue Jays, Haverford was locked in a close battle as the two teams reprised the meeting from last year's Centennial Conference Championship match. The Fords had a ton of momentum going into the latter stages of the first set, with the two teams tied at 15-15. Eventually, Roxy Karrer was integral to the Blue Jays' late run as the hosts opened up a 20-16 advantage. Undaunted, the Fords rallied back to within three following a kill from Kendall Otridge that made the score 22-19, but a strong blocking effort paced by Chidinma Onukwugha helped the hosts take the first set.

Haverford rallied in the second, with a 12-6 lead to open things as Claire Jordan, Jadyn Elliott and Izabela Potocnjak each notched key kills to help set the tone with Gabrielle Fontanilla helping to pace the offense at setter. A service ace from Jordan made the score 16-9, and the Fords took advantage of their lead from that point, despite the Blue Jays battling back to within one as late as 22-21. Otridge put the Fords on the brink of tying the match with a kill at 24-22, and an attack error from JHU tied the match at 1-1.

The third again saw the conference rivals locked in a tight battle, with the Fords erasing an 18-12 deficit behind Jordan at the service line. Potocnjak and Jones keyed the offensive rhythm with Cameryn DeBlecourt taking over at setter and anchoring the offense with some calm passing to put Haverford right back into things. A spurt from the Blue Jays restored a four-point cushion, as Haverford's strong rally ran out of steam in a 25-19 defeat.

The fourth set was close in the early goings before the hosts unleashed a run with Evelyn Batista at the service line. Back-to-back kills from Alice Yu and Roxy Karrer opened up an 18-8 lead for the hosts, and Haverford struggled for answers as Simone Adam joined Onukwugha for a block at 23-13. Eventually, Onukwugha put the set and match away with a kill at 25-15.

Potocnjak was an integral part of Haverford's offensive approach with 14 kills while Taylor Jones added eight. Juliet Young had 21 digs, while Fontanilla (10) and Jordan (12) also reached double digits in the category. DeBlecourt tallied 21 assists while Fontanilla chipped in 14 in the match. Onukwugha was a two-way standout for Hopkins, adding 16 kills to 10 total blocks. 

York (Pa.) 3, Haverford 2 (25-19, 22-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-9) 

In the non-conference contest against York, the Fords found a tough matchup with the MAC Commonwealth side. In the first set, the two sides went back-and-forth with Haverford hovering within striking distance. Ultimately, York put together a run to take a 20-15 lead and that lead eventually hit 23-17 following a kill from Abbey Diehl. Jordan and Elliott had kills down the stretch, but York pulled away to take a 25-19 win. 

Haverford turned things around in the second set, fending off the Spartans after the score was tied 11-11. Jordan was at the service line as the Fords took advantage of some crucial York errors to pull to an 18-12 lead. York kept things within striking distance, but back-to-back blocks from Elliott and Annibelle Ernst put the Fords up 22-19 before Jordan ended the set with a kill at 25-22. 

The third went back to York, as the Spartans turned a small early lead into a 24-15 advantage as Morgan Notle and Claire Shorb came up big down the stretch. In the fourth, Haverford took an early 6-1 lead, but again York had an answer to tie things at 17-17. York took a 22-19 advantage late in that frame, with designs on finishing things in four, before the Fords had a 4-0 rally to climb to a 23-22 lead. That stretch included a service ace from DeBlecourt and two kills from Jordan, who ended the set with a service ace.

The deciding fifth set saw York get out on a run of their own, with a 5-1 lead out of the chute. The advantage ballooned to 12-3 behind Megan Rizzi and Alyssa Mott, as Haverford struggled to get back into the contest. A late run from the Fords helped Haverford do exactly that, with Potocnjak and the blocking effort of Elliott and Ernst serving as a prelude to another kill from Jordan as the lead was just 14-9 for the Spartans.

Haverford had three players with double-digit kills in the matinee, with Jordan adding 14 and Otridge joining Potocnjak with 10. DeBlecourt (19) and Fontanilla (16) tallied double-digit assists while Young had 31 digs to pace four Fords in double figures. Rizzi added 24 kills against nine errors for York.

The Fords now return to action on Wednesday, heading to Franklin & Marshall for a matchup in primetime with the Diplomats. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Mayser Center on the F&M campus.