Phoenixville, PA - The Cairn Highlanders women's volleyball team picked up their first win of the 2016 campaign over the Valley Forge Patriots 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22).

"We kept talking about showing up with the right mindset and working hard no matter the outcome," said head coach Debbie Schendel after her first win as women's volleyball coach at Cairn. "We knew that if we were consistent about those two things, the results would come. This win is long overdue, but we have been learning valuable lessons that will hopefully carry us throughout the rest of the season and keep getting us those results."

As Schendal mentioned the win has been a long-time coming for the Highlanders. After falling in heartbreaking fashion in front of their home crowd on Wednesday, the Highlanders rebounded on a quick turnaround for their first win since Nov. 1, 2014.

Cairn picked up the first two sets by the slimmest of margins, claiming each set by a 25-23 final. After dropping the third set 26-24 the Highlanders came back to win the fourth set 25-22.

Three Highlanders, Whitney Seidel, Olivia Smiley, and Haley Sheehan collected seven kills each to lead the team.

Liz White assisted on 23 kills and Sheehan picked up 23 digs to lead the team.

The first set was a back-and-forth battle throughout with neither team leading by more than four points at any given time. Cairn jumped out to a quick 7-4 lead before the Patriots scored three straight to tie the match at 7-7. Valley Forge continued their strong play continuing their run until the score was 17-13 in their favor.

After a Cairn timeout, the Highlanders won seven of the next nine points to take a 20-19 lead and set up a photo finish at the end of the set. Haley Sheehan highlighted the 7-2 run with a pair of kills while Olivia Smiley chimed in with one.

With a one-point lead, Cairn dropped the next three points and trailed 23-20 before regrouping to win the final five points to take the set 25-23. Sheehan capped off the set with a service ace.

The second set was once again an extremely tight battle. With the Highlanders leading 8-7, Valley Forge opened up a little breathing room by winning six-straight points to take a 13-8 lead. Cairn immediately responded with a 7-1 run that was fueled by a kill by Ashley Chamberlin and an ace by Liz White.

After the two foes traded short runs, the score stood even at 22-22 before the Highlanders once again closed out the set, this time with a 3-1 run to close it out.

In the driver's seat for the second-straight night the Highlanders once again faltered in the third set, dropping the game 26-24. The set was dominated by runs for both teams. Using an early 6-0 run the Patriots eventually led 19-13 in the set before the Highlanders came storming back to tie the set at 21-21. This time it was Valley Forge that got the best of play at the end of the set for the victory.

Heading to the fourth set the Highlanders led 2-1 and jumped out to early leads of 5-2 and 8-3 before the Patriots tied the set at nine a piece. A Cairn timeout is just what the doctor ordered as the Highlanders went on an 8-5 run to open up a slight gap.

With the score at 18-16 in favor of the Highlanders, Cairn went on a 7-4 that ended the set and the match, giving the Highlanders a long awaited victory.

The Highlanders will next take the court on Saturday when they travel to Gwynedd Mercy University for a tri-match with the Griffins and Keystone College to begin their CSAC schedule. The Highlanders are scheduled to play Gwynedd Mercy at 10 a.m and Keystone at noon.