OWINGS MILL, Md.–The Swarthmore College volleyball team had an impressive showing in its first-ever NCAA match, a landmark 3-0 sweep of Randolph-Macon on Saturday, Nov. 10.
The Garnet came out strong in the first and ultimately won by a 25-15, 28-26, 26-22 score against the Yellow Jackets, the Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion.
Swarthmore limited RMC to a .129 hitting percentage, including a paltry .048 mark in the first frame. The Garnet also held a 6-5 advantage in blocks over the Yellow Jackets, who entered the contest ranked seventh in Division III for blocks per set.
Libero
Sarah Girard led the team with 19 digs as
Sarah Wallace contributed 17. Senior
Malia Scott led the offense to a .223 hitting percentage, setting up the attack and notching 33 assists.
Mehra den Braven hit efficiently with 15 kills and only two errors in 39 attempts for a .333 hitting mark. Up front,
Alice Liu recorded a team-leading three blocks and Scott, den Braven and
Emma Morgan-Bennett each added a pair of assists.
In the first frame, Swarthmore trailed 5-6 before a 4-0 run gave it a lead it would not relinquish.
Olivia Leventhal was particularly effective with four kills and no errors in nine attempts. RMC later came within two at 13-11, but two kills from den Braven, an error and a Girard service ace put the Yellow Jackets on their heels. The Garnet pushed their lead to double digits at 24-14 and stifled the opposing attack to take the match's first set.
Fifteen ties and seven lead changes marked a back-and-forth second set. Late in the game, Swarthmore erased a two-point deficit and earned three set point opportunities at 24-21. RMC rallied back and tied the match before a Swarthmore side out gave the Garnet another set point chance and the serve. The Yellow Jackets had an answer and earned an opportunity of their own. Three straight Swarthmore points, started off by a Wallace kill, made it 2-0 overall.
The Garnet kept their foot on the pedal in the third by taking eight of the first nine points, including six straight on
Guin Mesh's serve. RMC chipped away at its deficit and eventually lead 14-13 as it looked to stay alive. A service error and three straight den Braven kills put the Garnet back in control, poised to earn the sweep. Swarthmore opened a 5-0 lead at 23-18, but the Yellow Jackets won three in a row to close the gap. The Garnet were denied on their first match point chance before a kill by Wallace secured the first NCAA win in program history.
Swarthmore will play #10 Carnegie Mellon in the NCAA Second Round on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 3:30 p.m. The CMU Tartans defeated the Eastern Eagles in five sets to advance.
