Bullets Victorious Against Haverford in First Game of Centennial Conference Championship
(Photo courtesy David Sinclair/Gettysburg College Athletics)
By Noah Simkiss, Staff Writer
On Wednesday Nov. 13, Gettysburg women’s volleyball took on the Haverford Fords in the first round of the Centennial Conference Championship. Although it was a tight game, the Bullets ultimately battled for the win after four sets, with a final score of 3-1.
The intensity of the game was heightened by the enthusiasm of the reported 118 fans in attendance, who kept the crowd lively from start to finish.
The Bullets matched the energy of the audience in the opening set, coming back from an early 1-3 deficit on kills by Mary Huegel ’26 and Alycen Radolovic ’26. A series of attack errors by the Haverford team and successful kills by Erin Gonzalez ’27 and Huegel extended the Bullets’ lead.
After a kill by Gonzalez brought the score to 11-6, the Fords were held at five or more points behind for the remainder of the set. Despite a small rally for Haverford towards the end, the first set decisively went to Gettysburg and ended with a score of 25-17.
The Fords struck first in the second set, scoring five points before the Bullets managed to put one on the scoreboard. Gettysburg continued to struggle, allowing the Fords to further extend their lead and scoring four of their first ten points on Haverford’s service errors.
Despite trailing 11-18, however, the Bullets fought back. When Gettysburg pulled within three points of Haverford, the Fords called a timeout, and the Bullets were met with enthusiastic cheering from the crowd as the athletes conversed with their teams.
When play resumed, kills by Catherine Holtz ’25 and Huegel gave the Bullets a one point lead, further fueling the energy of the audience.
The Bullets eventually lost the second set with a score of 21-25, but the late rally by Gettysburg restored the excited atmosphere as the teams prepared to play the third set of a tied game.
During the third set, the teams exchanged leads back-and-forth. Early in the set, Gettysburg pulled ahead with a five point lead, which Haverford managed to close and eventually match at 20-all.
Consecutive kills by the Fords gave them the lead at 21-24, and the Bullets responded with four points of their own, tying the set once at 24-24 and again at 25-25. Two errors by Haverford put the Bullets definitively on top, with a final score of 27-25 in the set.
The excitement in the atmosphere increased as the game went into the fourth set, and the Bullets responded by taking a 4-3 lead on a kill by Radolovic.
Although the Bullets retained the lead for the remainder of the set, the Fords made them battle for it, cutting Gettysburg’s lead to just one point eight times during the set.
A timeout by Gettysburg at 19-18 and by Haverford at 22-18 added to the tension of the game, in a set that seemed as though it could go either way.
With the score 24-20 and the Bullets one point away from winning the game and advancing in the championship, spectators rose to their feet, eager to witness what could be the final play of the set.
Gonzalez ended the game with her tenth kill of the night, and the gym erupted into cheers as Gettysburg volleyball brought home the victory.
The Bullets’ first round tournament win was reflective of a remarkable regular season, during which the team played .821 and finished fourth in the Centennial Conference.
Bullets volleyball head coach Leah Bernier reflected on the team’s success, “Our players and their hard work and ability to hold each other to a high standard on and off the court is the reason for the success of this team.”
“Win or lose, we are a family that truly cares about each other and lifts each other up on good and bad days,” Bernier added. “That’s what makes us successful.”
Despite a loss against John Hopkins University on Friday, Nov. 15, Gettysburg volleyball is expected to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament regional, which begins this Thursday.
