LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University women's volleyball team kicked off the Homecoming festivities with a shutout win against the Scarlet Raiders of Rutgers-Newark, 3-0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-20) on Saturday morning. 
 

"It was great having our full roster back for today's match in front of a great homecoming crowd." remarked Head Coach Whitney Seidel. "We kept our game plan simple and set our goal of making each ball better for our teammates in each phase of the game, and we executed that goal well today."
 

Cairn (8-2) began the first set trading points with the Scarlet Raiders until key kills by fifth-year Allison Barnes (Macungie, PA / Salem Christian) formed a lead for the Highlanders late in the set to where they didn't look back, taking the first set 25-21. The Highlanders got off to a 13-2 run to start the second set by way of three aces from senior Kali Burres-Cheeley (Wanaque, NJ / Hawthorne Christian). Rutgers-Newark (0-8) responded with five straight points, but the Highlanders rebounded as they put away the Scarlet Raiders, 25-13, in the second set. Rutgers-Newark mounted an attack to start the third set, going up 9-3 on the Highlanders early. Cairn responded with a run of their own, scoring eight straight points to take back the lead 11-9. The remainder of the set stayed close, with the Highlanders edging out the Scarlet Raiders 25-20 in the third set to secure their first Homecoming victory since 2016. 
 

For the Highlanders, Barnes led with 14 kills to the tune of a career-high .619 hitting percentage (along with four service aces), followed by sophomore Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) who contributed 10 kills to go along with 11 digs.

ICYMI:

It's safe to say fifth-year Ally Barnes brought her A-game at homecoming, as she recorded 14 kills on the match, including this hammer in the second set of @CairnWVB's sweep of Rutgers-Newark on Saturday!#PursueExcellence #CairnWVB #HeartAndHustle pic.twitter.com/hWpT1yaZLU

— Cairn Highlanders (@CairnAthletics) September 25, 2022

Junior Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key) had 30 of the Highlanders' 34 assists on the day with 11 digs on the defensive end. Burres-Cheeley scooped up 15 digs and recorded a match-high five service aces.

 

The Highlanders continue their home stand against the Bloodhounds of John Jay College in non-conference action on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.