RADNOR, PA. – Nerney Field House was filled with the sounds of exciting volleyball today, as Cabrini hosted a tri-match featuring Stockton University and Franklin & Marshall College. The Cavaliers split its two matches, falling to Stockton 3-1 before sweeping Franklin & Marshall 3-0, moving the club to 16-6 on the season.
The Blue and White played the Ospreys tough in the opener, falling 19-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-18.
Three Cavaliers recorded at least nine kills in the loss, led by sophomore
Nicole Sokolovich, who paired 12 kills and 12 digs. Senior
Jen Grenauer added 11 kills, two service assists and three block assists, while sophomore
Anne-Marie Jones posted nine kills.
Senior
Cassidy Koenig also tallied a double-double with 37 assists and 10 digs. Junior
Kelly Guarino earned team-high honors with 17 digs.
Cabrini grabbed an early lead in the opening set before Stockton evened the score. The Cavaliers used a 7-1 spurt to gain an 11-5 cushion. The Ospreys came as close as 18-15 before the Blue and White tallied three consecutive points en route to the victory.
While the Cavaliers grabbed an early lead in the second frame, they could not find a consistent attack. Stockton rallied from its early deficit to build a 10-7 advantage. Cabrini pulled to 10-9 before the Ospreys responded with four straight points, a lead they held throughout the remainder of the set.
Stockton took an early lead in the third set, but the Cavaliers rallied, cutting its deficit to one point several times. While Cabrini could not find the right combination to gain the lead, it evened the score at 22 before a pair of Stockton points gave the Ospreys the set victory.
The Ospreys again claimed an early advantage in the fourth set, but this time the Cavaliers had no answer. Cabrini could get no closer than three points as Stockton closed out the match.
Junior Lindsay Schuele and sophomore Stephanie Kovacs led Stockton (2-2) with 14 kills each, while junior Rebecka Zabilowicz notched 34 digs.
The Cavaliers responded in the nightcap, sweeping Franklin & Marshall 25-19, 25-15, 26-24 in a spirited nonconference match. Sokolovich notched her second double-double of the day, pairing a team-high 13 kills and 12 digs, while Jones added 11 kills.
Koenig posted 40 assists, while Guarino recorded 17 digs.
After a few tight minutes to open the match, Cabrini used an 8-1 spurt to build a 16-6 lead. The Diplomats rallied to pull within 23-18 before the Blue and White closed the set.
The second set played out much like the first, with both teams exchanging slight leads in the early going. With the score tied at 9-9, the Cavaliers began to pull away. Two 3-0 spurts and a 6-0 run gave Cabrini the breathing room it needed to pull ahead 2-0.
The Diplomats fought back in the third frame, staking claim to an early advantage. Both teams used three and four point spurts to gain leads or come back from deficits as the momentum swung across the net.
F&M rallied from an 18-15 deficit to take a 20-18 lead before Cabrini took a 22-21 advantage. Both clubs alternated points until Kills by Jones and Sokolovich broke a 24-24 tied.
Junior Ellie Ezekiel paired 10 kills and seven digs for the Diplomats (10-11), while freshman Barbara Kapustin added nine kills in the loss. Senior Alyssa Sanchez tallied 17 digs.
In the day's second match, Stockton scored a 3-0 (25-17, 28-26, 25-23) win over Franklin & Marshall. Schuele and Kovacs recorded 11 kills each as Zabilowicz added 23 digs in the win.
Kapustin led the Dipomats with 14 kills, while Ezekiel added 10. Sanchez posted 17 digs.
The Blue and White will return to Colonial States Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, when it welcomes Immaculata University (10-4, 5-0 CSAC) to Nerney Field House. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
