NEWARK, NJ – Women's Volleyball swept both games of their tri-match at Rutgers-Newark between the Highlanders, Scarlet Raiders, and Lehman College, not relinquishing a set all day.
 
MATCH ONE
The Scarlet Raiders were rolling out of the gate, opening ahead 7-1 until freshman outside hitter Marah Lehman (Chambersburg, PA / Chambersburg) got in her groove, responding with five kills to hold the lead 13-12. Classmate Bella Manthe (Manila, Philippines / Faith Academy) scored a kill while dropping in an ace to tie the set at seventeen apiece. Lehman kept getting fed attack opportunities, adding four more kills by the end of the frame to win the set 25-21.
 
Set two was a back-and-forth affair as both squads never led the lead out of their sights. Junior middle Georgianna Thorpe (Southampton, PA / William Tennent) went for four kills in the frame, including back-to-back attacks to give Cairn (6-2) a push with the Scarlet Raiders up by four. With the set tied, Cairn went back to Lehman and Thorpe as the answer, winning the set on Thorpe's kill, 29-27.
 
The Highlanders had the advantage early in the third with Lehman striking for three kills in-a-row with another following that rally to go up 10-7. Rutgers-Newark (5-4) went running ahead 14-11 on seven-straight points with three aces. Cairn answered right back with two quick kills from Manthe and four by Thorpe to reclaim the lead 20-17. With Lehman and Thorpe each firing off another kill, Cairn would win the set on a service error, 25-20, winning the morning match.
 
Lehman finished with 19 kills, tying the single-game program record for most kills in a three-set match, totaling 21.5 points as well. Thorpe was the second Highlander in double figures with 11 kills and three total blocks. Manthe added seven kills. Junior setter Anna Dow (Syracuse, NY / Faith Heritage) dished out a career-high 38 assists while sophomore libero Liliana Magazzu (Reading, PA / Exeter) scooped up a career-high 22 digs.
 
MATCH TWO
Cairn dominated the opening set against Lehman College (1-3) with an 11-point run to put them up 16-3 as Thorpe swung for two kills. The Highlanders never looked back with Magazzu dropping an ace and Dow managing two aces in the closing rally as Lehman College was held to 6 points in the frame.
 
The Highlanders remained in command for the second set, running ahead 15-4 as junior defensive specialist Peyton Cline (Falling Waters, WV / Heritage Academy) had two aces with Lehman adding three more kills to her day. Sophomore outside hitter Emma Dekker (Rotterdam, Netherlands / International Community School) got in on the fun with a pair of kills while Manthe sealed the set with two kills, 25-12.
 
The finals set was more of the Highlander onslaught as aces by junior outside hitter Bridget Dahn (Smithsburg, MD / Heritage Academy), Magazzu, and sophomore middle Maddie Shackelford (Warrington, PA / Plumstead Christian) to go up 12-5. The Lightning had one more flash in the pan to cut the lead to 13-10 but Manthe had other thoughts, swiping three more kills across the board as Shackelford ended it with the final kill of the day, 25-12.
 
In match two, Thorpe and Manthe finished with six kills, the latter with a pair of aces. Lehman had five while Dekker and Shackelford had three kills. Magazzu and Shackelford ran the service line with three aces apiece.
 
Cairn will be back in action, looking to keep their momentum, on Wednesday at DelVal.