BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College volleyball team couldn't finish the night as it started as Haverford College won three straight sets after dropping the first to win 3-1 on Tuesday night in Johnston Hall.
Haverford (17-7) dropped the first set to the Greyhounds, 25-20, before winning the next three 25-17, 25-16, 25-23.
In the first set, the Greyhounds (10-19) raced out to a 13-7 lead. Senior setter Kelly Brown kept the momentum rolling with a dump kill followed by an ace to put Moravian ahead 17-12. Sophomore middle blocker Victoria Bobyak's ace pushed the lead to 23-16, and a Brown-to-Taylor Kornmann connection sealed the set for the Greyhounds, 25-20. Kornmann, a freshman middle hitter, led the Moravian attack in the first with four kills. She ended the match with a team-high 12 kills.
Brown dished out 33 assists in the loss, and also came up with 13 digs. She left the court Tuesday night two shy of 1,500 digs for her career.
Sophomore libero Andrea Giardina tied Brown for the team-lead in digs on Tuesday with 13, and also added four assists from the backline.
Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Hostetler pitched in with 10 kills, while Brown and freshman opposite hitter Lauren Piccinich each notched six kills.
"We had to try a new lineup tonight, and I thought the changes went pretty well," said head coach Shelley Bauder. "A lot of girls stepped up in new positions and different roles. Haverford played sloppy in the first game, and I told our girls they would have to tighten up because they were going to come back. They did that and we stuck in there, but it wasn't enough in the end."
Bauder especially commended Piccinich and Giardina in their new roles. Piccinich shined in the fourth set, coming up with two kills and two blocks in the home stretch. Giardina had quality passes and skillful digs from the libero position.
The Fords drew even in the second set, using two early runs to get out to a 15-9 lead. The Greyhounds rattled off three straight points on Kelianne Comitalo's serve after a timeout, but the Fords responded with a 5-1 run to push the lead to 20-13 en route to winning the second set 25-17. Kornmann recorded another four kills in the set.
The third set went to the Fords, who used three separate runs to get out to an 18-11 lead. The Fords stretched the lead to nine points, the largest of the evening, at 21-12 and traded serves to take the third set, 25-16.
Haverford capped the match by winning the most closely contested set of the evening, 25-23. The set featured eight different tie scores and a 16-11 lead by the Fords. The Hounds erased the deficit and tied the score at 21-21 on a Hostetler kill from the backline, set up by Giardina. Piccinich was active in the set, picking up two blocks and two kills during the final stretch, but the Fords won two of the final four points to claim victory on Tuesday night.
"Considering some adversity that we're facing right now, I think the team came together very nicely," Bauder said. "I'm looking forward to upsetting Cabrini on Thursday."
The Greyhounds will get the chance to prove their coach right on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Cabrini College in a 7 p.m. match. Moravian closes out its 2013 home slate in Johnston Hall on Friday, Nov. 1 against nationally-ranked Eastern University at 7 p.m.
Bauder's squad has already clinched the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Landmark Conference tournament, and will travel to No. 4 The University of Scranton in the first round during the week of Nov. 4. The official tournament schedule will be released on Wednesday as the league sorts out The United States Merchant Marine Academy's role in the playoffs after missing the entirety of conference play during the government shutdown.
