SWARTHMORE, Pa.–After erasing a two-set deficit, the Swarthmore College volleyball team (22-4, 8-2 CC) narrowly fell, 3-2, to the visiting Haverford College Fords (17-11, 7-3 CC) in the final match of the 2016 regular season.
The Garnet were defeated by a 21-25, 27-29, 25-20, 25-18, 12-15 score, but remain locked in as the second seed in the upcoming Centennial Conference tournament hosted by Johns Hopkins, where they will face the Fords in a rematch of last year's semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 5.
Prior to the match, the team recognized its two member from the class of 2017,
Amanda Reed and
Christina Shincovich, who comprise the winningest senior class in program history with 85 wins.
Malia Scott posted the first triple-double of her career with 20 assists, 14 digs and 10 kills while
Sarah Wallace (24 digs, 18 kills),
Mehra den Braven (19 digs, 15 kills) and
Elise Cummings (24 assists, 12 digs) all chipped in double-doubles.
Emma Morgan-Bennett had a hand in six of the team's nine blocks and
Sarah Girard led the team with 27 digs.
After conceding the first set, Swarthmore saved a set point in the second and gained one of its own at 26-25 after a den Braven kill. The Fords, however, were tenacious and fought to live another day, eventually scoring the final three points of the set to take a 2-0 lead.
The Garnet responded with resiliency of their own and posted an impressive .311 hitting percentage on 16 kills and just two errors in the third. Late in the frame, the Fords shrank their deficit to one point at 20-19 before a Swarthmore timeout helped right the ship as the Garnet ended with a
Bridget Scott kill to begin to close the gap.
In the fourth, Swarthmore took eight of the first 10 points and never trailed the visitors. Haverford used a four-point streak to come within three points at 20-17, but
Malia Scott answered with three kills in the span of four points to push the match to five.
An early 6-3 lead for the Garnet in the fifth did not hold up as Haverford later led 8-6 as the teams switched sides. A Wallace kill and Haverford miscue tied the match at 9-9 and although Swarthmore later came within one at 12-13, it could not leave Senior Day with a victory over its rivals.
