LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University women's volleyball saw their six-match win streak come to a close after falling to Notre Dame of Maryland University, 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 19-25, 23-25) in a battle of conference unbeatens on Wednesday evening. Just nine points into the first set, junior setter
Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key) recorded her 1,000
th career assist, becoming the fourth player in program history to achieve the 1,000-assist milestone.
"We are so thankful to have someone as tenacious, passionate, and team-oriented as Olivia Zepp running our offense." remarked Head Coach
Whitney Seidel.
"Each one of her 1,000 assists - and counting - is a testament to how much she loves this team and puts us in the best position to succeed, night in and night out. She embodies Heart and Hustle, and we are so proud of her for achieving this milestone."
The first-place tilt between Cairn (13-3, 3-1 CSAC) and Notre Dame (10-6, 4-0 CSAC) lived up to the hype in set one, as both teams battled back-and-forth in an evenly contested opening frame. The Highlanders gained the early edge, rallying back from a 22-20 deficit to claim six of the final eight points to steal the set and take a 1-0 match lead. The Gators proved their worth as one of the top teams in the conference in the next two sets, claiming comfortable 25-18, 25-19 victories to take a 2-1 match lead. In set four, the Gators held momentum near the final stages of the stanza, claiming a 23-20 advantage, but the Highlanders responded with three consecutive points to knot the set up at 23 a-piece. After Notre Dame (MD) claimed a point to take a 24-23 lead, Cairn looked to even the contest back up at 24-all, but fifth-year
Allison Barnes' (Macungie, PA / Salem Christian) attack found the net and gave the Gators a 3-1 victory.
Cairn was led offensively by Barnes, who tied a match-high with 14 kills to go along with a pair of solo blocks. Sophomore
Hendryl Peabody (Bensalem, PA / Faith Baptist Christian Academy) followed with nine kills, while senior
Kali Burres-Cheeley (Wanaque, NJ / Hawthorne Christian) added seven kills to pair with 18 digs. Sophomore
Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) scooped up a team-high 21 digs, while senior
Lizzy Fay (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy) and freshman
Payton Cline (Falling Waters, WV / Heritage Academy) added 15 digs a-piece. Along with collecting her 1,000
th career assist, Zepp dished out a match-high 31 on the night to pair with 14 digs.
The Highlanders will be back on the floor on Saturday, October 15 when they continue their home stand against conference adversary Keystone College inside the Mason Activity Center at 12 p.m.
