LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University women's volleyball team won, 3-0 (25-11, 25-1, 25-12), in their Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) opener at home against the University of Valley Forge on Saturday afternoon.
 
"Our game plan today was to limit unnecessary errors and focus on clean execution, and we hit that goal." remarked Head Coach Whitney Seidel. "Everyone was able to contribute in multiple ways to help us start out conference play on a high note!"
 
Cairn (11-2, 1-0 CSAC) started out the contest on a 7-1 run in the first set. Valley Forge (2-9, 0-1 CSAC) battled back to keep the deficit at six at the midway point (12-6), but the Highlanders utilized a 13-5 run to close out the frame and take a 1-0 match lead. The second set was all Cairn, as the Highlanders utilized a quick attack to dominate the Patriots en-route to a 25-1 victory. In set three, Valley Forge jetted out to a quick 5-3 advantage, but the Highlanders rattled off a nine-point swing from that there to finish off the Patriots.
 
Cairn was led offensively by fifth-year Allison Barnes (Macungie, PA / Salem Christian), who slammed down a match-high 12 kills with zero errors to the tune of a scorching .800 hitting percentage to lead the attack. Senior Kali Burres-Cheeley (Wanaque, NJ / Hawthorne Christian) followed with five kills, while freshman Abigail Di Sipio (East Earl, PA / Homeschooled) notched a career-high four kills in the winning effort.

ICYMI: Freshman Abigail Di Sipio tallied a career-high four kills (all in the third set) as @CairnWVB steamrolled to a 3-0 sweep over UVF in their CSAC opener on Saturday afternoon!#PursueExcellence #CairnWVB #HeartAndHustle pic.twitter.com/CIROyuurPr

— Cairn Highlanders (@CairnAthletics) October 1, 2022

Junior Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key) dished out a match-high 21 assists, while senior Lizzy Fay (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy) and freshman Payton Cline (Falling Waters, WV / Heritage Academy) led the back row with eight digs a-piece. Cline also paced the Highlanders with a career-high six service aces. As a team, the Highlanders recorded a .446 hitting percentage on 28 kills and just three errors.
 
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Wednesday, October 5 when they hit the road for the first time in over a week when they continue conference play in a CSAC tilt with Clarks Summit University at 7 p.m.