LANGHORNE, PA – Cairn Women's Volleyball came back to beat Delaware Valley University on Thursday night, despite finding themselves down 2-1, in five sets, 3-2.
 
Cairn (8-2 / 1-0 UNITED EAST) scored the first five points of the night started off by senior opposite Hendryl Peabody (Bensalem, PA / Faith Baptist Christian Academy) with two kills. The Highlanders stretched the lead to 16-6 as sophomores Bridget Dahn (Smithsburg, MD / Heritage Academy), Madison Delp (York, PA / Clarks Summit University) and Georgianna Thorpe (Southampton, PA / William Tennent) each recorded three kills in the frame. Delaware Valley (7-9 / 1-1 MAC Freedom) mounted a comeback, cutting the Highlander lead to 18-12. Graduate setter Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key) dropped in an ace before the set was finished off just how it started, with a Peabody kill, her sixth of the set.
 
After Cairn commanded the first set, DelVal took over in the second, hopping out to a 16-3 lead and pushing forward to 21-7. Peabody, Dahn, and Delp each had kills down the stretch in an attempt to slice into the lead, but the Aggies ran away 25-16.
 
Both squads traded points to begin the third set with things tied up until the Highlanders got the serve back, going ahead on an ace from Dahn with a kill each from senior outside hitter Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) and Thorpe to follow. Conrad and Delp teamed up for a block to preserve the lead ahead of Peabody pushing it back up to three with another kill. DelVal eventually pulled the lead away from Cairn at 22-21 and never looked back as they threatened the match now ahead 2-1 heading to set four. Peabody added six more kills to her night with five from Conrad in the frame.
 
DelVal took a lead and began to run early in the fourth set before Dahn and Zepp turned the tides with a kill apiece. The Aggies fought back, taking a five-point lead keeping Cairn on their toes as the offense needed to get firing, working to cut the lead with aces by freshman defensive specialist Liliana Magazzu (Reading, PA / Exeter) and junior defensive specialist Delaney Hollenbeck (Kingsley, PA / Lackawanna College). The Highlanders were able to tie things up at 19-all on three kills in a row by Delp, Peabody, and Conrad in order. Delp then swatted a would be attack with a solo block to keep things tied before Conrad found space for an ace and Dahn tallied two more kills, her team-leading fourth in the set to lead the comeback as Peabody secured the set win, 25-23 with a kill.
 
The same momentum to end the fourth was brought to the fifth, leading off with a tag-team block from Delp and Dahn. DelVal quickly jumped ahead 6-3 before things got tied up at 7-7 behind the serve of Hollenbeck. With the stage set, Cairn would pile up eight unanswered points to win the game lead by three kills in that span from Conrad and an ace by Zepp to finish it off.
 
Peabody once again led the offense, tying a career-high 19 kills on her way to recording her 500^th career kill on Thursday night, tallying 19.5 points on .304% hitting. Dahn was next with 13 kills, also tying a career-high, Conrad totaled 16.5 points on 12 kills, three aces, and three block assists. Rounding out the offensive showing was Zepp with a career-high 51 assists and career-high 2 block assists. On the defensive side, Delp had the net under control with five block assists (career-high), two solo blocks, and seven total blocks (career-high). Junior libero Payton Cline (Falling Waters, WV / Heritage Academy) and Magazzu each marked career-highs in digs with 33 and 16 digs, respectively.
 
The Highlanders will look to keep this momentum rolling back into conference play on Saturday as they head to Penn College for an afternoon match.