Women's Soccer, Volleyball Teams Take Aim at Conference Championships
For the Swarthmore College women's soccer and volleyball teams, the 2017 season enters its most critical phase as each team will participate in the Centennial Conference playoffs this weekend.
Both teams are the seeded second in their respective four-team playoff tournament, each of which will be held at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. Winners of the tournament get an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.
The women's soccer team (13-3-1) looks to earn its fourth consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament when it faces off against third-seeded Haverford on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Marin McCoy '19 from Denver, Colo. leads the offense with 16 goals and 10 assists for 42 total points, which resets her own program record. Swarthmore has posted seven shutouts this season and sits third in the most recent NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings.
"A key factor for our success this weekend is to continue to execute at the level we've shown all season long," says head coach Todd Anckaitis. "We've been ranked in the top 25 nationally from the first week of the season because of our consistency and if we execute on game day, success should follow."
The volleyball team (20-6) makes its eighth Centennial Conference postseason appearance in the last nine years after recording an 8-2 mark against league opponents. Swarthmore finished the season strong with a 9-1 record over the last 10 matches, including five sweeps. It will face a familiar opponent in third-seeded Muhlenberg on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Garnet blanked during the final week of the regular season.
Thanks to her performance in the Muhlenberg match, setter Malia Scott '18, an engineering major from Lake Oswego, Ore., was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week. A key to the Garnet's success has been its defense, as it has limited to opponents to a .106 hitting percentage this fall while the attack averages a conference-best 12.98 kills per set.
"We feel that our best volleyball is yet to come," says head coach Harleigh Chwastyk. "Our team has demonstrated great resilience and strength throughout the season against tough competition (the Garnet faced three nationally-ranked opponents and 10 regionally-ranked opponents). When we play as a team, confident and fierce, we are unstoppable."
Follow each team's playoff games via live video and live stats.
