LANGHORNE, Pa. – The Delaware Valley University women's volleyball team hit the road for the first time this season Thursday night, falling to Cairn University in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-13).
Cairn jumped out to an early four-point advantage in the opening set before a kill from
Madison Alexander sparked the Aggies' response. DelVal trimmed the deficit to three, but a quick 3-0 run from the Highlanders stretched the margin to six. The Aggies continued to battle, capitalizing on Cairn errors before a kill from
Ariana Hernandez pulled DelVal within two late in the frame. The Highlanders held off the comeback attempt to take the opening set, 25-22.
The Highlanders carried their momentum into the second set with a 7-0 run before back-to-back kills from
Monique Smith and
Layla-Deanna Rabanal put the Aggies on the board. DelVal responded with a 9-3 stretch to erase the early deficit and even the score. Cairn regained the advantage before Smith delivered a kill to bring the Aggies level once again, but a late 5-0 Highlanders run created the separation needed to secure the second set, 25-19.
Cairn established an early advantage in the third, holding DelVal to four points while building a double-digit lead. The Aggies worked to cut into the deficit behind kills from
Shanna Graham and Smith while taking advantage of several Highlander errors to bring the margin back to single digits. Cairn answered with a 6-2 run down the stretch to close out the set, 25-13, and secure the match.
Smith paced the DelVal attack with a team-high 10 kills, while
Samantha Wilton anchored the defense with 22 digs. Alexander directed the offense with a team-best 21 assists.
The Aggies return to James Work Gymnasium on Saturday, Sept. 5 for a home tri-match. DelVal opens the day against Wilkes at 11 a.m. before taking on Cedar Crest at 3 p.m.
