ABINGTON, PA -- The Cairn University Highlanders Women's Volleyball team defeated the Nittany Lions of Penn State Abington 3-1 on Friday evening, as the Highlanders win the Bucks & Montgomery Kickoff Classic Match for the second year in a row for Head Coach Whitney Seidel's 50th Career Win. 

On their back-to-back season opening wins, Head Coach Whitney Seidel commented: "Our energy and team-first commitment to one another propelled us to victory tonight. Despite how young we are as a team, this group has gelled so well from day one. This win is indicative of their hard work and I'm so excited to see what they do this season!" Tonight also marks Seidel's 50th Career win as she current sits 4th All-Time in Cairn Women's Volleyball history. 

Play went back-and-forth early in the first set of the Bucks & Montgomery Kickoff Classic Match until Cairn (1-0) pulled ahead 13-7 midway through the set. Freshman Bridget Dahn (Smithsburg, VA / Heritage Academy) dropped a trio of aces onto the Nittany Lions' side of the net as the Highlanders took the first set 25-15. Penn State Abington (0-1) crafted a response in the second set, pulling ahead on an 11-1 run. Cairn mounted a comeback to come within two points of the Nittany Lions but fell short, falling in the set 25-18. With things all tied up, Cairn came out on a 9-1 run, never looking back and taking set three 25-14 as junior outside hitter Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) tallied four kills in the set, including the set point. The Highlanders went ahead in the fourth set 5-1 before the Nittany Lions fought back to take a slim 9-8 lead. That was as close as Penn State Abington would get as Conrad smashed seven more kills in the frame, coming one short of her career high. 

Conrad led the Highlanders attack with a match-high 14 kills, 3 aces, and 2 assists. Senior setter Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key) collected 28 assists and 20 digs while Dahn tied a match-high 5 aces with 10 kills and 3 assists. Junior outside hitter Hendryl Peabody (Bensalem, PA / Faith Baptist Christian Academy) sent nine kills over the net with a career-high five blocks. Freshman middle blocker Georgianna Thorpe (Southampton, PA / William Tennent) followed with four blocks of her own.

The Highlanders host the Owls of Bryn Mawr on Wednesday evening for their home opener at 7 pm inside the Mason Activity Center.