Lancaster, PA - With their originally schedule season opener canceled, the Highlanders were itching to get their season underway... and hopefully on the right foot.
On Wednesday night, Cairn University did just that as the Highlanders swept Lancaster Bible College 3-0 to start off the season.
Ryan Garven led the way for the Highlanders with 11 kills on the night.
Noah Prickett blasted 7 kills while unleashing 18 total attacks.
Ethan Mawhinney almost reached double-digits with 9 kills on 15 attacks.
Jon Wilson had a game-high 38 assists. On the defensive side of things, every Highlander recorded atleast one dig each, but none more than
Josiah Buss who had a game-high 6 digs.
Trailing 17-16 in the opening set, Cairn went on a 4 point run to open up a 20-17 lead into the later stages of the set where they maintained atleast a 3 point gap and eventually winning their first set of the season 25-20.
In the second set, the Highlanders never trailed although the Chargers battled back after falling behind early on. With Cairn leading 15-14, the Highlanders used a host of tools to go on a 10-2 run to close out the second set and take a 25-16 set win.
Leading 2-0, 2nd year coach Ben Fuller was eager to keep the shutout but was made to work for it all the way to the wire. The two teams battled back-and-forth to the finish. When it looked as though the Highlanders might stroll to the finish, leading 22-17, Lancaster Bible went on a 3-0 run to narrow things at 22-20. At that point, the teams alternated points until Cairn eventually claimed a 25-22 third set win and 3-0 win overall.
With the win, the Highlanders start their season off 1-0. Lancaster Bible falls to 0-3 on the season.
Cairn will travel to Newark, NJ this weekend to take part in the Golden Dome Invitational where they will face the likes of Rutgers-Newark, Kean University, and former champions Springfield College.
