NEW YORK, NY - The Cairn University Women's Volleyball team began their last week of non-conference play as they headed to New York City to take on John Jay College, falling to the Bloodhounds 3-1. 

The match started off close, as the first set opened with neither team finding more than a two point advantage until John Jay (11-2) went up 13-8 in the middle of the frame. Junior opposite Hendryl Peabody (Bensalem, PA / Faith Baptist Christian Academy) would record a kill as Cairn (7-6) brought the Bloodhound lead back within a single point. Peabody and junior outside hitter Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) would combine for 2 kills as the Highlanders tied the score at 22. Two Bloodhound kills would take the first set for John Jay 25-22.

The Bloodhounds would score the first three points of the second period until Conrad got the serve back for Cairn with a kill followed by back-to-back aces. The Highlanders would take a 13-10 lead on two more kills by Conrad forcing a timeout from the opponent to stop the momentum. The break proved ineffective as Cairn went on an 8-3 run. Freshman middle blocker Georgianna Thorpe (Southampton, PA /  William Tennent) would seal the second set with the final kill for Cairn, 25-17. 

Peabody would record the first three Highlander kills of the third set as Cairn evened the score at 5-5. John Jay would begin a rally to push ahead 17-8 as the Highlanders could only scatter a few points Cairn searched for momentum as Peabody would send three more kills over the net in an attempt to gain some ground. The set would close 25-14 in favor of the Bloodhounds. The fight would be much closer in the fourth set with the Highlanders looking to even up the fight. As John Jay went ahead, a kill by freshman outside hitter Bridget Dahn (Smithsburg, MD / Heritage Academy) would take the lead 4-3. As the Bloodhounds brought the attack (15-11), Conrad would find an opportunity to cut their lead to two on a kill assisted by senior setter Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key). Late errors by John Jay in combination with kills by Dahn and Peabody would force Cairn into the lead, 24-23. When the Bloodhounds fought back to go up 25-25, Peabody would force the match to stay going. John Jay would have the last word as they took the match in the fourth set 27-25. 

Peabody took her turn at leading the Highlander attack tonight, smashing a career-high 19 kills on .405 hitting, surpassing the mark she had just set last week, as well as tying a career-high 5 total blocks and setting a new career-high pf 22 points. The record book was rewritten again as Peabody tied the single game mark for 6th most kills in a four-set match. Dahn and Conrad followed up with eight kills each and led the team in scooping up 14 and 18 digs, respectively. Zepp facilitated the offense with 32 assists and 12 digs.

The Highlanders close out non-conference play on Thursday as they host the Pacers of Marywood University in Langhorne at 7 p.m.