LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Cairn University women's volleyball team marched to its third-straight victory to open the 2022 season with a four-set triumph (25-13, 25-15, 11-25, 25-13) over non-conference foe Gwynedd Mercy University at home on Tuesday evening.
 
"Our team put their resilience on display tonight." remarked Head Coach Whitney Seidel. "They didn't back down after Gwynedd took the third set, and went back to doing what we do best - playing for each other. Although the season is young, they're already displaying the maturity and discipline it takes to win against great competition!"
 
Cairn (3-0) continued their pattern of getting off to hot starts, rebounded from an early 6-4 hole with a five-point swing to take a 9-6 lead. After two quick points by Gwynedd Mercy (1-3), the Highlanders ignited a nine-point swing led by a serving run by junior setter Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key), which included three service aces by Zepp, to take an 18-9 lead and finished off the set to take a 1-0 advantage in the match. The Highlanders rolled that momentum into set two, easily disposing of the Griffins to take a 2-0 match lead, marking their eighth consecutive set victory to kick off the season.
 
The Highlanders run of set victories inevitably came to an end in the third frame, as Gwynedd nabbed a 25-11 win to cut the match deficit to 2-1. Cairn quickly rebounded after trailing 5-4 in the fourth frame, rattling off nine-straight points to take a 13-5 lead, a lead they would hold for the remainder of the contest.
 
Zepp led the Highlanders in all facets of the game on the evening, earning her first career triple-double with 29 assists, 14 digs and 11 services aces (all team-highs). Zepp's performance marks the first time in program history a Highlander has achieved a triple-double with aces, and her 11 aces are a new program record for aces in a four-set match (official statistics date back to 2005). Fifth-year Allison Barnes (Macungie, PA / Salem Christian) paced the Highlander attack with a match-high 12 kills, while sophomores Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) and Hendryl Peabody (Bensalem, PA / Faith Baptist Christian Academy) each added nine kills (career-high for Peabody).
 
Cairn will be back in action tomorrow when it hits the road for its first away contest of the 2022 campaign, traveling to Hackettstown to take on non-conference opponent Centenary University (NJ) at 7 p.m.