ELIZABETHTOWN, PA – The Cairn Men's Volleyball squad was on the road again Thursday night, squaring off with the Elizabethtown Blue Jays, in search of their first win of the season. ETOWN would sweep the Highlanders in straight sets with a late comeback in the third set.
 
Cairn (0-3) was in command early in the initial set as senior opposite hitter Joe Poirier (Nogyang, South Korea / International Christian School Uijeongbu) found open space for a kill on the ETOWN side of the net, giving the Highlanders a 5-4 lead. Elizabethtown (1-2) would answer back with four straight points to go up 9-6. Senior outside hitter Noah Ruiz Esparza (Levittown, PA / Berean Academy) and sophomore setter Josh Adler (Levittown, PA / Neshaminy) got Cairn back into the fight with a kill apiece. The Blue Jays would follow with a run, taking the first set 25-17.
 
Elizabethtown would take the lead out of the gate in set two, the Highlanders tying it back up on forced attack errors. The Blue Jays would go up14-8 forcing Cairn to mount a comeback. Freshman outside hitter Jesse Stuart (Chattanooga, TN / Chiang Rai International Christian School) would force an ace with junior middle hitter Tommy Ragonese (Buffalo, NY / Royalton-Hartland High School) following up with a kill to cut the lead to four. Elizabethtown would fire back and take set two by the same score as the first, 25-17.
 
Stuart would record a pair of kills to open set three, before Poirier and sophomore middle hitter David Larbi (Bensalem, PA / Bensalem) would join the run with a pair of kills each. Ragonese and Poirier would spike a kill each to take a 18-17 lead with the match hanging in the balance. The Blue Jays would score six straight on three aces to take a 23-18 lead. Graduate middle hitter Jake Tolar (Fort Mill, SC / Nation Ford High School) would keep the Highlander alive with a late kill before Elizabethtown took the set 25-21.
 
Poirier and Tolar would lead the way with 6.5 points each, Poirier's coming on 5 kills with a solo block and assisted block while Tolar had 4 kills with an ace and three block assists. Ragonese had 3 kills while Larbi tallied a pair of kills with 3 block assists. Adler assisted on 13 kills.
 
Cairn Men's Volleyball gets a short break to regroup before hosting the Easter Eagles on February 1 inside the Mason Activity Center at 7 p.m.