Newark, NJ – The Cairn men's volleyball team was swept 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-21) on the road against Rutgers-Newark on Tuesday night. The Highlanders remained close throughout the match, but the Scarlet Raiders held a consistent lead throughout each of the sets for the 3-0 victory.
 
Andy Willits and Ryan Ludvik led the Highlanders with 10 and nine kills respectively. Matthew Gump dished out 25 assists and collected five digs while Micah Godshall picked up 10 digs in the match.
 
For Rutgers-Newark, Corey Pieper led the effort with 18 kills and a .382 hitting percentage in the win.
 
After Rutgers-Newark opened the game with a 5-2 run the Highlanders and Scarlet Raiders traded points until Cairn used a quick 3-1 run to tie the set at 13-13. The Scarlet Raiders responded with a 5-0 run to take an 18-13 lead. Cairn then took advantage of pair of errors from Rutgers-Newark and a kill from Ryan Ludvik to put together a 3-1 run. Trailing 24-20 and facing match point later in the set, Cairn won two point with a kill from Juston Wolgemuth and an ace from Andy Willits, but Corey Pieper ended the set with a kill to give the Scarlet Raiders a 25-22 victory in the first set.
 
Looking to even the match at a set a piece, Cairn opened the second set with a 5-2 run to take an early lead. Rutgers-Newark responded with a 5-0 run of their own to take a 7-5 lead. After the Highlanders tied the set at 9-9, Rutgers-Newark rattled off a 6-1 run to take a five-point lead.
 
A kill from Matthew Gump ended the Scarlet Knights' run and started a 6-2 streak for the Highlanders. Wolgemuth ended the stretch for Cairn with a kill off a set from Gump to pull the Highlanders within one at 17-16. Unfortunately, it was as close as Cairn would get the rest of the set and Rutgers-Newark edged the Highlanders to take the second set by a 25-22 score.
 
Much like the second set the Highlanders opened the third with strong play. Cairn started the set with a 6-2 run thanks to kills from Ben Chapman, Willits, Wolgemuth, and Ludvik. The Highlanders continued to hold an advantage until the score stood at 12-9. After a Willits' kill pushed the Highlanders lead to three, the Scarlet Raiders responded with a 10-1 run that flipped the script and put Cairn in a six-point hole.
 
Trailing 19-13, Cairn scored the next three points to climb within three at 19-16. It was too little too late, as the damage from the 10-1 run could not be overcome by the Highlanders. Rutgers-Newark closed out the set and completed the sweep 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-21) with a 25-21 victory in the set.
 
With the loss the Highlanders fall to 0-3 in the CVC and 2-14 overall. Cairn will look to rebound against the Stevenson Mustangs on Friday night when they travel to Owings Mills, Md. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.