Gettysburg vs. F&M Box |
Haverford vs. Johns Hopkins Box
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College and Haverford College will cross paths once again in the postseason as the two schools paved the way for a Centennial Conference Tournament championship showdown on Sunday with a pair of semifinal victories. The host Bullets wrapped up a 3-0 sweep of fourth-seeded Franklin & Marshall College 25-22, 25-21, 25-17, while the second-seeded Fords took care of No. 3 Johns Hopkins University in four sets 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-8.
Gettysburg (18-10) and Haverford (23-6) have combined to win each of the last seven conference titles, with the former winning five in a row from 2001 to 2005 and the latter winning each of the last two. The two teams have met in the tournament in each of the last seven seasons as well, but Sunday's match will be the first in the title tilt.
Gettysburg started the afternoon off on the right foot by jumping out to a five-point lead in the first set against Franklin & Marshall (13-16). The hosts held sway through the remainder of the opening frame and continued the march in the second, taking a 20-9 advantage before the Dips clawed to within three points (24-21). A kill by senior
Meghan McConville (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) sealed the second set for the Orange & Blue.
The Bullets once again took the early lead in the final contest and led by as many as 10 (23-13) down the home stretch. The Diplomat attack never managed to get fully in sync and committed 27 errors in the contest.
Sophomore
Kate Yoder (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus) led the way for Gettysburg with nine kills against just one error in 20 attempts (.400 attack percentage). A trio of Bullets posted six kills including McConville and juniors
Kristina Mercier (Baltimore, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) and
Amanda Krampf (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg). Krampf also added 23 assists and nine digs and teamed with Yoder for three blocks.
Junior libero
Kristin Kotewicz (Columbia, Md./River Hill) led the defensive effort with 20 digs and added a pair of service aces. Freshmen
Rebecca Rubenstein (Bedford Hills, N.Y./Fox Lane) and
Jamie Huffman (Laurel, Md./Reservoir) each added nine digs.
Sophomore Nicole Morano led Franklin & Marshall with nine kills and a pair of blocks. Senior Margot Phelan paced the defensive effort with 13 digs and posted six kills.
After a thrilling five-set match in the regular season, Saturday's semifinal between Haverford and Johns Hopkins (20-7) had all the makings of another tight-knit affair. The Blue Jays took a 15-9 lead in the first set, but the Fords came roaring back and emerged with a five-point victory. The swing continued in Haverford's favor in the second with a 16-10 lead. It was Hopkins' turn for a comeback and the Blue Jays pulled to within 23-22, but a kill by junior Rebecca Salvo and a Jay hitting error put Haverford ahead with a pair of wins in the best-of-five match.
Round three went Hopkins' way as the squad rebounded from a 9-3 deficit to win a 25-22 decision. The Blue Jays hit .357 in the set, posting 16 kills with only one error in 42 attempts.
Denied the sweep, the Fords came out with bad intentions in the fourth frame, jumping out to a 9-1 lead. Rebecca Salvo posted three kills among the first nine Haverford points, while twin sister Rachel recorded a string of three-straight service aces. The Fords rolled the rest of the way en route to a 17-point victory.
Sophomore Kelsey Cantwell had a monster game for Haverford, finishing with 15 kills, 19 digs, two service aces, and five total blocks. Rebecca Salvo finished with 12 kills, while Rachel Salvo tallied seven kills, 17 digs, and three blocks. Sophomore Franny Glick tallied nine kills and 11 digs. Freshman setter Kate Comey finished with 38 assists and 10 digs.
Johns Hopkins was paced by freshman Sarah Feicht's 15 kills. Senior setter Amanda Lewis tallied 38 assists to go with nine digs, while junior Rhea Alexander managed a team-high 16 digs.
Gettysburg and Haverford will meet for the Centennial Conference championship on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. inside Bream Gym.
