Haverford, Pa. - September 10, 2022- The Springfield College women's volleyball team split with host Haverford and was edged in four sets by No. 19 Susquehanna on Saturday afternoon.  By virtue of a a tiebreak, Springfield was named the champion of the 2022 Haverford Ford Invitational and Riley Donahue (South Windsor, Conn.) was named the MVP of the Invitational. 

It was a great weekend of competition for the Pride, as it improved to 5-1 and played three teams who all competed in last year's NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.  Joining Donahue on the All-Tournament Team was Elsie Phillips (Granby, Conn.).

Springfield will open up New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Tuesday when it travels to Wheaton.

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Springfield 3, Haverford 2 (20-25, 25-12, 25-22, 23-25, 15-8) 

Donahue was impressive in the Pride's first match of the day as she produced 21 kills, 17 digs, six aces, and four blocks.  Ally Townsend (Hummelstown, Pa.) added 16 digs, Jamie Albrecht (Selden, N.Y.) tallied 12 kills, Phillips notched six blocks, and Morgan Stafford (Corbett, Ore.) had 30 of the Pride's 50 assists.  

Haverford used an 8-1 run early in the opening set to jump out to a 15-6 lead, only to have the Pride use a 6-0 burst, featuring three aces from Donahue, to pull within 17-14.  However, Springfield would get no closer than three as the hosts earned a 25-20 first-set win. 

Springfield scored the first seven points of the second, with Emily Keaveney (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) delivering three early aces.  Springfield would cruise to a 25-12 win to even the match up as Haverford was held to just four kills in the set. 

The Pride broke open a 9-9 tie in the third set with eight-straight points, as Stafford ripped consecutive aces before Albrecht hammered a kill to make it 17-9. The hosts would storm back with make it a 21-20 game, but Phillips and Megan Kirtyan (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) came up with two key blocks down the stretch for the 25-22 win. 

Despite trailing 9-7 in the fourth, Haverford used a 4-0 burst to gain a cushion it would have for much of the set.  Springfield would manage to tie things up at 20-all on a kill by Kylie Wixted (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), but Haverford benefitted from back-to-back miscues by the Pride en route to a 25-23 win. 

The hosts jumped out to a 5-4 lead in the deciding fifth set, only to have Albrecht and Maeve Voltz (Bay Shore, N.Y.) combine for a block to kickstart a four-point surge that included two aces from Donahue as the Pride went up 8-5. After the hosts answered with the next two points, Springfield closed the match on a 7-1 run to complete the five-set victory.  

Susquehanna 3, Springfield 1 (21-25, 25-14, 25-17, 27-25) 

In the four-game setback to Susquehanna, Townsend was credited with 25 digs and four service aces, while Donahue tacked on 11 digs, 10 kills, and three blocks.  Stafford and Kirtyan combined for 37 assists and Albrecht tacked on eight kills of her own.