HAVERFORD, Pa. – Swarthmore College Volleyball advanced to the Centennial Conference semifinals with a four set victory over fourth-seeded Haverford.
The fifth-seeded Garnet dropped the first set with a score of 21-25, before winning three straight with a score of 25-12, 25-18 and 25-21.
Swarthmore will travel to Baltimore as they take on top-seeded and unbeaten Johns Hopkins on Saturday in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference Tournament. First serve between the Garnet and Blue Jays is slated for 1:00 p.m. The second semifinal will feature second-seeded Franklin & Marshall vs. third-seeded McDaniel at 3:30 p.m.
After dropping the first set, Swarthmore held Haverford to a -.027 hitting percentage in the second set. Mehra den Braven opened the scoring with a kill with the assist from Alyssa Nathan.
Nathan collected her first of four service aces as Swarthmore took an early two-point advantage. In the midst of three consecutive points, the Garnet forced Haverford to call a timeout. Swarthmore collected the next two points as den Braven recorded a kill, and Emma Morgan-Bennett and Nathan notched a shared block.
Swarthmore forced the Fords into 10 attacking errors in the second frame. Alexa Bartlett closed out the second set with a kill.
In the third set, Swarthmore finished with 15 kills on 28 attacks for a .393 hitting percentage. The Garnet finished the set on five consecutive points, including two service aces by Josie Thrasher and two den Braven kills. The senior finished the matched with a match high 15 kills, and added 14 digs.
Nathan notched a season-high 32 assists, and the junior added seven digs, five kills and four service aces. Bartlett finished with five block assists, while Isabelle Andrews added seven.
As a team, the Garnet netted 12 blocks and recorded a .208 hitting percentage. Haverford was held to a .060 hitting percentage in the four-set match.