LANGHORNE, PA – The No. 4 seeded Cairn University Women's Volleyball team hosted their first ever United East Women's Volleyball Championship playoff game inside the Mason Activity Center, Saturday afternoon, hosting the No. 5 Lions of Bryn Athyn College, sweeping the Lions in three sets.
 
Cairn (15-9 / 7-3 United East Skye Division) got off to a hot start, taking an early 7-4 lead. The Highlanders would rally around the serves of junior outside hitter Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) and senior setter Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key), as Conrad recorded two kills and two aces along with an ace by Zepp as Cairn climbed to a 19-9 lead. Freshman middle blocker Georgianna Thorpe (Southampton, PA / William Tennent) hammered home and final kill with the Highlander taking set one, 25-12.
 
Bryn Athyn (5-18 / 5-6 United East Skye Division) would show some fight in the second set, playing to a 7-5 lead. An ace and kill by freshman outside hitter Bridget Dahn (Smithsburg, MD / Heritage Academy) brought the Highlanders back to tie the set 8-8 and a set of kills by Conrad and one from Thorpe to take an 11-8 lead. The Lions roared back to go up 14-11 and 19-15 as Cairn found themselves in their first real deficit of the afternoon. An ace by Dahn and a pair of aces from Conrad and Thorpe shut down the rally as Cairn went up 23-21. Bryn Athyn would once again come back to a 24-23 lead forcing the hand of the Highlanders with the match in the balance. Conrad took over, securing the serve for her team with a 24-24 score, and firing off back-to-back kills, both assisted by Zepp, to take the set 26-24.
 
The Highlander came out with the same momentum to start the third frame, going up 5-1 early and putting the Lions under pressure to stop the rally. Meanwhile, Cairn rallied around the serve of sophomore libero Payton Cline (Falling Waters, WV / Heritage Academy) where Conrad notched a pair of kills along with an ace for Cline as the lead grew to 15-6. As the margin continued to grow for the Highlanders, 20-8, Bryn Athyn could only manage to scatter a few points. Freshman outside hitter Madison Searls (Seaford, DE / Salisbury Christian School) forced match point followed by an attack into the net by the Lions which secured the 25-11 victory for the Highlanders.
 
It would be Conrad's turn to lead the offense Saturday afternoon as she went off for a career-high 17 kills, tying the third most in a 3-set match in program history. She also added a block and three aces. Thorpe recorded a career-high 9 kills along with two block assists. Peabody was next with 8 kills and also two block assists. Zepp assisted on 32 of the Highlanders' 42 kills.
 
No. 4 Cairn Women's Volleyball will travel to Allentown on Tuesday to take on the No. 1 seeded Cedar Crest College Falcons at 7 p.m.