Championship Central
Haverford and Gettysburg secured victories in the first round of the Centennial Conference volleyball tournament on Wednesday, with both teams now advancing to the semfinals.
In Swarthmore, Pa., fifth-seeded Gettysburg (19-9) rallied with seven of the last eight points of the first set to win that a key a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-20) sweep of fourth-seeded Swarthmore (17-12) in the first round of the 2025 Centennial Conference volleyball championship tournament.
Erin Gonazelez led the Bullets with nine kills and just one error to hit .308 on the night. She also had 16 digs and four aces. Alycen Radolovic paced the attack with 13 kills and hit .370. Isabel Adam paced the Garnet in the defeat with nine kills and four digs.
In Haverford, Pa., third-seeded Haverford punched its ticket to the Centennial Conference semifinals for the first time since 2021, outlasting sixth-seeded Dickinson in a thrilling five-set (25-16, 18-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-10) victory on Wednesday night at Gooding '84 Arena.
The victory in the conference first-round matchup also marked the program's first tournament win in four years, propelled by a stellar performance from first-year Elizabeth Cella. Cella was the offensive catalyst all night, matching her career high with 21 kills to lead all players. She was also formidable from the service line, adding four aces and chipping in nine digs defensively.
GiaFrank provided an offensive spark for the Fords with 11 kills, while at the net, Fiona Moord and Maggie Turner were formidable, each tallying five blocks. Dickinson was led by 14 kills from Mallie Thomas and a dominant 14-block performance from Emery Fischbach, a new Centennial Conference record for a five-set match.
Haverford will travel to second-seeded Franklin & Marshall (21-5) and Gettysburg will travel to top-seeded Johns Hopkins (23-4) for Friday's semifinals. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. starts.
FIRST ROUND: Wednesday, Nov. 12 | at #3 & #4 seeds
#3 Haverford d. #6 Dickinson, 3-2 (25-16, 18-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-10) | Box Score
#5 Gettysburg d. #4 Swarthmore, 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-20) | Box Score
SEMIFINALS: Friday, Nov. 14 | at #1 & #2 seeds
#3 Haverford at #2 Franklin & Marshall, 7 p.m. | BUY TICKETS
#5 Gettysburg at #1 Johns Hopkins, 7 p.m. | BUY TICKETS
CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, November 16 | at highest remaining seed
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
