After an 18-8 season (7-3 within the Centennial Conference), the Haverford volleyball team, seeded #3, hosted the Dickinson Red Devils (#6) for the first round of the Centennial Conference postseason. The Fords started the game out strong, winning the first six points and forcing the Red Devils to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Fords held onto their strong lead, preventing their opponents from getting within 3 points of them through the entire set and eventually securing the victory, 25-16.
Dickinson won the first point of the second set, but Haverford kept it close, scoring near even with their opponents through the first ten points scored on each side. Dickinson eventually began to pull away halfway through the second set, before the Fords went on a valiant run, tying it again at 15. But the Red Devils kept it up, securing the second set with a final score of 25-18 and tying the game at one set apiece.
Set 3 started out in a similar vein to the previous set, with the teams trading points until Dickinson pulled ahead, leading the Fords 22-15 late in the set. After using a well-timed timeout, the Fords came back to the court ready to play, scoring 7 straight to pull even with their opponents and forcing Dickinson to a timeout of their own. Spirits were high in the arena as the last several points were played, but in a difficult error for the Fords, Dickinson won their second set 23-25.
With their backs against the wall, the Fords were determined to win the fourth set. After a tight exchange of points in the first half, Haverford began to pull away, outscoring their opponents 13-7 in the second half of the set to win 25-17 and send the Gooding arena into a frenzy. But the fight wasn’t over yet. Tied at two sets apiece, the Fords and the Red Devils entered the fifth set of the night in front of a packed crowd, energy high on both sides as they fought to determine who would advance.
Once again, the two teams kept pace with each other, staying within two for the first 12 points scored. Haverford reached the eight-point mark first, leading 8-5 as the teams switched sides of the court, but Dickinson pulled close once again. Finally, the Fords went on a 3-point run to seal the match, winning the final set with a score of 15-10 and propelling themselves into the second round of the Centennial Conference.
With the win over the Dickinson Red Devils, the #3 seeded Haverford volleyball team will move onto the Centennial Conference semifinals, to be hosted in Lancaster, PA by the #2 Franklin and Marshall Diplomats on Friday, November 14.
