Langhorne, PA - On Saturday the Cairn men's volleyball team returned to their home court after being on the road for the previous five matches. Cairn hosted the No. 4 Stevens Ducks and Arcadia Knights on Saturday and opened the tri-match with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15) loss against Stevens. The Highlanders fell in the second match of the day against the Arcadia Knights 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 16-25, 25-22).

Match One - Stevens Institute defeats Cairn 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15)
Cairn dropped set one to Stevens, before rallying together and jumping out to a 6-1 lead in set two. Leading the way for the Highlanders with team high totals was Ryan Ludvik with 14 digs, Matthew Gump issued 15 assists, and Andy Willits led the way with eight kills.  

In the first set, the Ducks hustled out to an early 14-2 lead. Stevens won the first nine points of the match before Cairn scored their first point with a kill from Matthew Gump. The Ducks continued to grow their lead and cruised to a 25-12 victory in the first game.

As mentioned, the Highlanders started off strong in the second set jumping out to a 6-1 lead thanks to five errors from the Ducks and a service ace from freshman Ben Norton. Stevens countered with a 6-1 run of their own to tie the set at 7-7.

A kill from Andy Willits and an ace from Matthew Gump ended the Stevens run and gave Cairn the 9-7 lead. A little later in the set, the Highlanders led 17-16 after a service ace from Stevens. It would be Cairn's final lead of the set as the Ducks finished off the set with a 9-2 run to take the set 25-19 and take a 2-0 lead into the third set.

The third set was controlled by the Ducks. Stevens jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and never looked back. Stevens led 11-4 in the early going after a 4-0 run. Cairn pulled within four at 12-8, thanks to a 4-1 run that featured two kills from Ben Norton and a kill from both Juston Wolgemuth and Andy Willits.

With Cairn trailing 15-10, the Ducks rattled off the next six points to take an 11-point lead. Cairn went on a 4-1 run but it was not enough as the Ducks picked up the 25-15 set victory and the 3-0 sweep.

Match Two- Arcadia defeats Cairn 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 16-25, 25-22)

In the nightcap of the tri-match, Cairn fell to Arcadia in four sets.  It was the attack of Andy Willits leading the for both teams as he had a game-high 19 kills in the match.  Ryan Ludvik continued as a defensive stalwart for the Highlanders with a game-high 19 digs. Matthew Gump was heavily involved in Willits' 19 kills, as he dealt a team high 30 assists.

Facing the Knights for the second time this season, the Highlanders were looking to avenge an early season 3-0 loss at the hands of Arcadia on Jan. 27. The Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the match thanks to victories of 25-18 and 25-20 in the first two sets. Arcadia used big runs in both sets to secure the victories in both games.

In the first set, Arcadia used a 6-0 run to break open a 15-15 game and claim the momentum for the rest of the set. The Knights took a 25-18 victory in the first set. Leading 1-0, the Knights used two separate runs to turn a Cairn advantage into an Arcadia set victory.

With Cairn leading 13-8 in the second set, Arcadia went on a 5-1 run to pull within one at 14-13. A few points later, with Cairn leading 17-15, the Knights went on a 5-0 run to take a 20-17 advantage.

The Highlanders closed the gap with a pair of Arcadia errors to make it 22-20, but the Knights won the final three points to take the set 25-20.

Trailing 2-0 heading into the third set, the Highlanders used a 11-2 run in the middle of the third set to break a 13-13 tie and take a commanding 24-15 lead. Three kills from Juston Wolgemuth highlighted the 11-2 run. Andy Willits put away the set for the Highlanders with a kill off an assist from Matthew Gump.

The fourth set was close throughout with the Highlanders staking an early 11-7 lead. The Knights battled back and took a 21-18 lead after a quick 4-0 run. Cairn won four of the next six points, but the Knights closed out the set and the match with the final two points to take the set 25-22.

Cairn next takes the court Wednesday night as the team will pack up the bus and head out the turnpike to Lancaster to face the Lancaster Bible College Chargers in a mid-week showdown.  Game time slated for 7 pm.