BRYN MAWR, Pa. – The Cairn University women's volleyball team collected its fifth-and sixth straight victories of the 2022 season after sweeping both matches in their tri-match at Bryn Mawr College on Saturday afternoon, shutting out Rosemont College in a non-conference contest (28-26, 25-16, 25-17) in their first bout of the day before taking down the host Owls in four sets (25-22, 19-25, 25-17, 25-20) in the nightcap. With the two victories, the Highlanders set a new program record for wins to start a season, topping the previous record of five wins to start the 2005 campaign (official records go back to 2002).  
 
"Starting out a season 6-0 for the first time in school history is one thing. Starting out a season 6-0 while constantly battling back from deficits, injuries, and lineup changes is quite another." remarked Head Coach Whitney Seidel. "I can't say enough how proud I am of the way this team fights for each other. Their chemistry, grit, and love for each other make meeting all of our goals for this season possible."
 
Despite being down a starter in its first match against Rosemont (1-4), Cairn (6-0) battled in a back-and-forth first set with the Ravens that went to a tiebreaker. After the Ravens took a 26-25 lead in the tiebreak, the Highlanders answered with three-straight points that included a pair of kills from senior Kali Burres-Cheeley (Wanaque, NJ / Hawthorne Christian) to claim the pivotal first set. Cairn used that momentum to jet out to a 7-0 lead in the second set en-route to a 25-16 win and finished off the Ravens in set three (25-17) to win their first match of the day.
 
Fifth-year Allison Barnes (Macungie, PA / Salem Christian) led the Highlanders offensively in the first match with a match-high nine kills, while sophomore Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) followed with six kills of her own. Junior Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key) dished out a team-high 19 assists, while freshman Abigail Di Sipio (East Earl, PA / Homeschooled) scooped up a career-high 13 digs in her first collegiate start.
 
In the second match of the day, the Highlanders found themselves trailing in set one as Bryn Mawr (3-2) held a 14-13 advantage at the midway point. The ever-resilient Highlanders battled back once again, rattling off five-straight points to reclaim momentum and finish off the set with a 25-22 triumph. The Owls responded by winning the second set (25-19), but Cairn refused to give in by snagging a commanding 25-17 win in the third frame. The Highlanders started the fourth set on fire, claiming seven of the first eight points to begin the stanza and led 16-10 halfway through the set. However, six-straight points by the Owls forced Cairn to burn a timeout as both teams were deadlocked at 16 a-piece. Cairn held to a 21-20 advantage nearing the end of the set, before putting the match away with a four-point run to set the program record for consecutive wins to start a season.
 
Barnes paced the offensive effort against Bryn Mawr by matching her career-high in kills with 17, to go along with a match-high four solo blocks. Barnes was followed by Conrad with a season-high 12 kills, while Burres-Cheeley tied a season-high with 11 kills of her own. Conrad led the defensive output with a team-high 21 digs and Burres-Cheeley added 17 digs to the stat sheet. Zepp dished out a match-high 39 assists against the Owls, tying a career-high, while also corralling 15 digs. Freshman Payton Cline (Falling Waters, WV / Heritage Academy) also finished in double figures with 13 digs for the match.
 
Cairn will be back in action on Tuesday, September 13 when it finishes its long road swing with a contest in Maryland against non-conference adversary Goucher College at 7 p.m.