Morristown, NJ - The Cairn Highlanders picked-up their first set victory of the season on Thursday night in the first set of a match against the College of Saint Elizabeth. After winning the first set 25-15 the Highlanders dropped the next three to the Eagles and fell by a 3-1 (15-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-17) final.
 
The Highlanders jumped out to the early 1-0 lead after the first set behind a strong hitting performance. Cairn had, by a wide margin, their highest hitting percentage in a single set this season with a .185 mark for the set. The Highlanders registered seven kills on 27 attempts against just two errors. After dominating the first set, 25-15 the Highlanders carried that momentum into the second se.
 
In a tightly contested set the Eagles squeaked out a 25-22 victory to level the match at one set apiece.
 
The Highlanders were unable to continue their strong play later in the match dropping the third set by a 25-18 final and the fourth set by a 25-17 score.
 
Despite the 3-1 loss, the Highlanders turned in a number of personal bests on the young season.  Freshman setter, Liz White assisted on 13 kills for her first match with double-digit assists. White also collected five digs in the match.
 
Ashley Wharton led Cairn with 14 digs, just topping teammate Brie Norton who collected 13 on the evening. Whitney Seidel was the offense for the Highlanders. The senior led the team with four aces, four blocks, and ten kills. The match was her first with double-digit kills since a 10-kill performance on Oct. 3, 2015 against Clarks Summit.
 
As a team the Highlanders more than doubled the number of kills (26 on Thursday) that they had in their first two matches combined (22). Cairn also connected for 13 service aces and 21 assists, both team-highs for the season. The 21 assists in a match is their most since the 2014 season.
 
The Highlanders will next take the court in their home-opener next Wednesday, Sept. 14 when they host Bryn Athyn College at 7:00 p.m.