The Muhlenberg volleyball team rolled into Centennial Conference play by continuing its winning streak to five straight matches, defeating Haverford 3-1.
The Mules (11-2, 1-0 CC) started strong with a 25-19 first set win, but the Fords tied the match by taking the second set. Muhlenberg then fought off a late Haverford run in the third set to earn a 25-20 set win before finishing off the match with a 25-17 fourth set victory.
Three Mules registered double-digit kills, with both junior
Kelly Tornetta and sophomore
Tara Register finishing with a double-double. Tornetta recorded a team-high 15 kills to go with 15 digs, while Register added 13 kills and a career-high 16 digs. Sophomore
Maggie Enestvedt finished with 12 kills to go with six digs, four service aces and two blocks.
Junior setter
Shannon Hubert recorded 42 assists and 14 digs, while freshman libero
Maya Illovsky dug out 16 Haverford attacks.
The Fords (9-4, 0-1 CC) jumped out to an early first set advantage, but Muhlenberg rallied back and took its first lead on an ace by Illovsky. The set continued to go back and forth until the Mules built a five-point advantage to go up 22-17 on a Register kill. Kills by Tornetta and junior
Erica Schultz ended the stanza in Muhlenberg's favor.
Haverford again staked out an early lead in the second set and held on to tie the match despite a Muhlenberg comeback midway through the stanza.
The Mules flipped the script in the third set, with kills from Tornetta and Enestvedt helping them to a 4-1 early advantage. Haverford later tied the set, and the two teams stayed even until an Enestvedt attack put the Mules up in the set for good. Muhlenberg increased its advantage to as much as eight and Enestvedt
(pictured above) finished off the stanza with her 11th kill of the match.
Register knocked down two of her kills early in the fourth set to help the Mules stake out a lead. Haverford battled back to tie the stanza at 12-12, but Muhlenberg rattled off a 6-0 run later in the set thanks in part to two Enestvedt aces. Up 20-17, the Mules won the next five points to clinch the match, with kills by Register and Tornetta followed by two Register aces and another Tornetta kill ending the contest.
