NCAA Tournament first round:
Haverford 3, Stockton 0

Allison Kleeman

Boxscore
Richard Stockton (27-12) was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a 25-12, 25-13, 25-18 loss to 24th-ranked Haverford (31-3) in an NCAA first round match at Juniata College (PA). Christine Velott (Moorestown/Moorestown) led the Ospreys with 10 kills and Allison Kleeman (Cherry Hill/CH West) scooped 12 digs. Laura Hausman (Bethlehem, PA/ Catasauqua) dished 11 assists for Stockton.

Haverford jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set and continued pulling away for the 25-12 win. The Ospreys fell behind 10-3 in the second frame but battled back to within 14-10 with help from two kills by Velott during an 11-4 run before the comeback sputtered and Haverford prevailed 25-13.

Another kill by Velott gave Stockton an early 4-3 edge in the third set, but Haverford quickly regained the lead with three straight points and never relinquished it. Anna Streicher (Marlton/Cherokee) tallied Stockton’s final point with a kill to make the score 22-18, but Haverford registered the next three points and closed out the match, 25-18.

Stockton finished the season with a 27-12 record after winning its second consecutive NJAC championship and third in four years. With no seniors on the roster, the Ospreys could potentially return their entire team next year, including four NJAC All-Conference performers in Velott, Hausman, Stephanie Warner (Totowa/Passaic Valley) and Christine Astarita (Selden, NY/Newfield).