Haverford Women's Hoops A Centennial Force
By Matt Leon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Haverford College women's basketball team has emerged as a force in the Centennial Conference this season.
The Fords are in first place in the conference with a 10-2 ledger. Overall, Haverford is 16-2 and the 16 wins are already the second most in a season in program history. They've already clinched a third straight winning campaign, which is impressive on merit, but then when you consider that before this stretch the Haverford women's basketball program had all of one winning season in its history (which dates back to 1980), it becomes very special.
Sixth-year head coach Bobbi Morgan is the architect of this unprecedented run of success and she says this season has already been a fun ride.
"It really has," Morgan tells KYW Newsradio. "It's been surprising too, because we did lose three starters last year. So we are excited about where we are."
Morgan talks about when she had an inkling this group was capable of big things.
"Our tip-off tournament, we opened the season with a win over nationally-ranked Marymount, who had gone pretty far into the NCAA (Tournament) last year," Morgan says. "And then we beat a really good TCNJ team. So right off the bat I could tell they had an air of confidence that we haven't had in the past, because we've always been the one chasing it. That's kind of when I knew we might be able to make a little run here."
Bobbi Morgan Interview
The Fords can defend with anyone. They hold opponents to 33% shooting from the field, 27% from behind the arc and just 51.2 points a game. Defense has been a hallmark under Morgan, but this year that defense is being complimented by an improved offensive attack.
"We have, I think, a couple of the best scorers in the conference," Morgan says. "Nina Voith, who is a graduate of Germantown Friends, has really been a key factor this season. And she was coming off an injury last year. Elizabeth Lynch (13.3 ppg, team high 36 three-pointers) is another player who has just been tremendous this year, so we've got a better offense than I think we had last year."
Voith leads the team in scoring, pouring in 15.4 points a game. She's also tops with 103 rebounds. The senior guard is putting the finishing touches on what has proven to be an outstanding career for the Fords. In fact, with 1,289 points, she is the second all-time leading scorer in program history. She needs just three more points to replace 2006 graduate Katie Crowley at the top of that list.
All this success means that Haverford isn't sneaking up on anyone. Morgan talks about making sure her squad realizes that they now have everyone's attention.
"It certainly is something that we haven't been accustomed to because we've been gradually getting better and better," Morgan says. "But I think, they do have that mindset that in the conference, that anybody can beat anyone. We've been used to that, we're just not used to being the one that's at the top. They also know that every night is a game that they can win if they play well."
Haverford next opportunity to play well will be Wednesday night when they host Muhlenberg at 6:00pm.
You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.
