LANGHORNE, PA – Women's Volleyball took care of business in their sixth-straight win and sweep of Gwynedd Mercy as conference play begins this weekend.
 
Sophomore middle Maddie Shackelford (Warrington, PA / Plumstead Christian) got swinging first for the Highlanders, scoring a kill as Cairn (9-2) ran ahead 6-1, freshman opposite Bella Manthe (Manila, Philippines / Faith Academy) adding a kill as well. After a 10-6 lead, Gwynedd Mercy (3-5) roared back on a 13-2 run, taking the lead 19-12 on eight kills. Junior outside hitter Bridget Dahn (Smithsburg, MD / Heritage Academy) helped get the Highlanders back on track with a pair of kills, closing the gap 20-15. Manthe dropped in an ace on the road to a comeback with Shackelford scoring two kills in the race to the finish as junior setter Anna Dow (Syracuse, NY / Faith Heritage) aced the set point, 25-23.
 
Cairn had the advantage in the second, opening with two kills from the hand of freshman outside hitter Marah Lehman (Chambersburg, PA / Chambersburg), Shackelford and Dahn each adding a kill as well. Another ace by Manthe put the Highlanders up 8-5 as Lehman kept swinging for three kills to maintain the advantage. The Griffins had their say, taking over 16-15 before Manthe and Lehman began to inch closer to set point with a kill apiece. Dahn capped off the second frame with two kills as Gwynedd Mercy handed over set 25-22.
 
Three kills for Dahn, starting up right where she left off, got the Highlanders in the drivers' seat in the third set, 11-5. Dow snuck a kill over the net with Lehman picking up two more kills to build some distance 17-7. The Griffins would go on one last run, 9-3, with three kills in-a-row to cut the Cairn lead to three points, 21-18. Shackelford set up match point before the Griffins forced a mistake to end the match, 25-21.
 
A game-high 14 kills from Lehman was the spark for Cairn as Dahn was also in double digits with 11 kills. Dow put up her second-best performance of the season with 34 assists dished out. Manthe and Shackelford added six and five kills, respectively, teaming up for the Highlanders' only block of the night.
 
Penn College comes to town on Saturday for the Highlanders' conference opener on Homecoming at 11 a.m.