LANGHORNE, PA – Cairn Women's Volleyball hosted the Albright College Lions in Langhorne on Tuesday night to start off this week, dropping the match 3-2 as Albright took three of the last four sets.
 
Both squads kept the pace to open the match before Albright (6-2) pushed away and got ahead 12-8. Senior outside hitter Caroline Conrad (Bangkok, Thailand / International Community School) nailed two straight kills to cut the lead to a point. She then added an ace paired with three kills from classmate Hendryl Peabody (Bensalem, PA / Faith Baptist Christian Academy) to tie the game at 16 apiece. As the Lions went ahead 21-17, sophomore middle blocker Georgianna Thorpe (Southampton, PA / William Tennent) added a kill to get the momentum swung back in favor of Cairn (5-2). Conrad and Peabody each had two kills late in the set to win the first frame, 25-23.
 
Heading to set two, Albright had control out of the gate as the Highlanders found themselves having to go on the offensive to match. Three kills in the frame from sophomore outside hitter Bridget Dahn (Smithsburg, MD / Heritage Academy) kept Cairn close but the Lions kept the lead out of reach, tying the match at a set apiece with a 25-21 set two victory.
 
Set three opened with a pair of kill from Peabody to bank an early lead for Cairn. Albright fought back to take a 12-10 lead before Thorpe tied and game and Conad took the lead back with kills assisted by graduate setter Olivia Zepp (Westminster, MD / Francis Scott Key). With the Highlander on a run, freshman middle blocker Maddie Shackelford (Warrington, PA / Plumstead Christian) added two kills to make the lead 20-15. The Lions roared back, scoring seven-straight points and taking a 22-20 lead and eventually have the game on the line at 23-21. Peabody secured the serve back to Cairn with a kill with junior libero Payton Cline (Falling Water, WV / Heritage Academy) tying the match with an ace. A Lion attack error would give set point to Cairn before Albright secured a kill to tie things up at 24 all. A service error gave back set point to Cairn before Albright rallied for three points to take back-to-back sets, this time 27-25.
 
With Albright in the lead 2-1, the Highlanders went on a run of twelve-straight points behind the serve of Zepp with three aces. Shackelford added a solo block while Conrad had three kills during the rally to put Cairn up 18-6. Albright would quickly work to get back in the game, getting as close as 20-12 before Conrad and Dahn put the set out of reach with a pair of kill each, winning 25-14.
 
In the decisive fifth set, Conrad found two kills to open the frame before the Lions took a 5-3 lead and rallied ahead 11-6. Dahn would provide two kills to help keep Cairn in the game as Albright fought away on their way to 15, winning the match on an ace, 15-8.
 
Conrad paced the offense with 16 kills and two aces for 18 points, adding 21 digs on the defensive side. Peabody and Dahn were also in double digits with kills, earning 14 and 10, respectively. Dahn collected a career-high 26 digs as well. Thorpe provided net defense with four total blocks while Zepp facilitated offense with 40 assists and a season-high 5 aces.
 
The Highlanders will face off next with Lackawanna College on Thursday in Langhorne at 6 p.m.