LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University women's volleyball team lost in its home-opener vs. Delaware Valley University by a score of 3-2 (27-25, 25-23, 25-27, 18-25, 8-15) on Friday evening.
 
The Highlanders (0-2) got off to a great start again, claiming the first set in a tiebreaker, capped off by a kill by junior Paige Kemper (Lancaster, PA / Garden Spot HS) to claim a 1-0 lead.
 
Cairn rode that momentum to win another close second set and held a commanding 2-0 lead after the first two frames. Delaware Valley (1-0) responded with their backs against the wall, winning the third set in a tiebreaker to extend the match before winning the fourth stanza to send the match to a fifth and final set. The Aggies finished the comeback, winning the deciding set 15-8 to earn a hard-fought victory in a back-and-forth contest.
 
Cairn was led by senior Caroline Bennett (Little Silver, NJ / Red Bank Regional), who had the best match of her collegiate career with a team-and career high 11 kills and a team-high 33.3% hitting percentage. Bennett was followed by junior Kali Burres (Wanaque, NJ / Hawthorne Christian), who slammed down nine kills and scooped up a career-high 25 digs. Burres also tallied a game-and career-high five service aces. Senior Allison Barnes (Macungie, PA / Salem Christian) and Kemper each contributed eight kills, while Barnes added a team-high two solo blocks. The eight kills were a career-high for Kemper. Sophomore Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key) accumulated a team-and career high 31 assists, while junior Lizzy Fay (Langhorne, PA / Neshanimy) accumulated a team-and career high 26 digs.
 
Cairn will be back on the court tomorrow when it welcomes the Mighty Macs of Immaculata University to town. Match time is scheduled for 11 a.m.