LANGHORNE, PA – Men's Volleyball split with St. Elizabeth on Saturday afternoon, winning the conference game 3-2 before getting swept in the non-conference backend, 3-0.
 
MATCH ONE
The Eagles got off on the right foot, building a 10-4 lead on Cairn (7-8 / 4-2 UNITED EAST) before sophomore outside hitter Sam Poirier (Nogyang, South Korea / International Christian School Uijeongbu) struck for a pair of kills and teamed up with junior middle David Larbi (Bensalem, PA / Bensalem) for a block, to cut the lead to two, 10-8. Poirier and graduate outside hitter Noah Ruiz Esparza (Levittown, PA / Berean Academy) kept firing off kills to cut the distance, tying the set at 21-21 before St. Elizabeth (6-16 / 2-5 UNITED EAST) took the set 26-24.
 
Poirier opened the second set with two kills as sophomore outside hitter Jesse Stuart (Chattanooga, TN / Chiang Rai International Christian School) added two as well in the midst of the Eagles' run to a 10-5 lead. As St. Elizabeth went charging forth, 22-13, the Highlanders fought from behind on a run of nine-straight points to tie the set, 22-22, as Poirier had five kills and Larbi dropped in two aces on the run. Poirier kept going, adding two more in the closing points as freshman outside hitter Eddie Newman (Lock Haven, PA / Homeschool) got an ace on the way to a 27-25 set two win.
 
Set three traded brief runs back-and-forth for the duration as Poirier went off for nine kills in the frame.  The Eagles took a lead late in the set as Poirier and Stuart added kills late as St. Elizabeth held onto the advantage, 25-22.
 
It was Cairn's turn in the fourth, running ahead 12-6 to start as Larbi had two more aces and four more kills for Poirier. Errors would give Cairn a late 20-14 lead as the Eagles tried desperately to not let the Highlanders even the set lead. A kill and a block would cut the Cairn lead to three before Larbi and Poirier each sent over another kill to go up 23-18. Poirier had the parting shot with a kill to win the set, 25-22.
 
In the tie-breaking set, Poirier had to early kills as Stuart and Ruiz Esparza attacked to put Cairn up 7-4. Stuart dropped in an ace while Larbi powered home a kill to stay up 11-5. Poirer finished off the Eagles with three more kills, winning set five, 15-9.
 
Poirier went off for an even 40 kills on .350 hitting% which is the new single-game record for most kills in any game in program history, passing Justin Brubaker's 2008 record of 38 kills. 40 kills is also the most in a single-game in any NCAA Division III game thus far this season. Junior setter Josh Adler (Levittown, PA / Neshaminy) also set a record, a personal one, racking up a career-high 55 assists.
 
The Highlanders move to 4-2 in conference play and clinched a postseason berth with Saturday's conference win.
 
MATCH TWO
Match two was all St. Elizabeth as the Eagles ran ahead 10-6 in set one. Newman and junior middle Caleb Cabrera (Wallington, NJ / Wallington) added kills to break the run before Cairn was outscored 15-5 down the stretch.
 
The Highlanders stayed in the fight in the second set as Larbi added two kills with three more for Newman. The Eagles ran ahead 14-7, doubling their score as Cairn managed points on St. Elizabeth's errors. Larbi and Newman cut the lead to three late in the set before dropping it 25-20.
 
Cairn was faced with an 11-5 lead to open the third set as the Highlanders rallied briefly behind junior libero Kobe Cash's (Yardley, PA / Calvary Christian) serve with kills by Adler and Newman. St. Elizabeth ran back ahead 18-10 as Ruiz Esparza got in on the match two action before the Eagles sprinted to the finish, 25-15.
 
Newman led match two with five kills. Junior right side Bogdan Mygovych (Feasterville-Trevose, PA / Neshaminy) had three blocks in the matinee.
 
Men's Volleyball will be back in action on Monday at Penn St. Schuylkill for their final non-conference match at 7 p.m.