HAVERFORD, Pa.–The Swarthmore College volleyball team (20-6, 8-2 CC) locked up the second seed in the upcoming Centennial Conference playoffs and earned valuable Hood Trophy points with a 3-1 win over Haverford on Saturday.
The Garnet dropped the first set before ultimately prevailing by a 22-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-19 score in the final match of the regular season.
Sarah Girard led all players with 25 digs as Swarthmore limited their rivals to .074 hitting percentage.
Olivia Leventhal paced the Garnet with 14 kills while
Sarah Wallace and
Alice Liu chipped in 10 each.
Emma Morgan-Bennett tallied seven kills with three total blocks, including two of the solo variety.
Bridget Scott also totaled three blocks and
Malia Scott handed out 43 assists as the primary setter.
In the first set, the Fords took advantage of Swarthmore's errors for an early overall lead. A big run in the second gave Haverford a 7-3 advantage and a short-lived lead. Swarthmore pulled ahead 13-10 and led by as many as six at 21-15. The Fords rattled off four straight to force a Garnet timeout, but kills by Leventhal and Wallace down the stretch tied the match at one.
The Garnet never trailed in the third frame and overwhelmed the hosts with a .407 hitting percentage. Wallace, Liu and Leventhal combined for 13 kills and only one error between them. A seven-point advantage at 13-7 was insurmountable for Haverford and the lead ballooned to double digits several times in the set.
Swarthmore wrapped things up in the fourth behind solid defense that nullified the Fords' offense. Girard recorded seven digs in the frame and the Garnet put up four blocks as well. After early leads were traded and the dust settled, Swarthmore held on to a 17-12 lead before a Haverford timeout. The hosts eventually closed within three, but Swarthmore came out on top for its eighth conference win of the season.
As the second seed, the Garnet will face third-seeded Muhlenberg on Saturday, Nov. 4 on the campus of Johns Hopkins at a time to be announced. Swarthmore took that contest earlier this week with a sweep at Tarble Pavilion.
