CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College volleyball team defeated Goldey-Beacom College in three straight sets, 25-19, 25-16, 25-11 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match Saturday afternoon in the George R. Newman Center. The victory evens the Cougars' record at 5-5 overall and keeps them unbeaten in the conference at 3-0, while the Lightning drop to 6-6 overall, 2-3 CACC.

The first set was close and saw Goldey-Beacom take an 11-9 advantage. But a side-out and seven straight points with sophomore Lauren Herzog (Lodi, NJ/Lodi) serving put the Cougars ahead 17-11. The Cougars maintained the six-point cushion and won the first set, 25-19. Sophomore outside hitter Justine Pecora (Clifton, NJ/Mt. St. Dominic) and freshman middle blocker Titilola Alao (Ossining, NY/Ossining) recorded four kills apiece in the set. Three kills each by Pecora and Alao and four by sophomore middle blocker Keesha Francois (Elkins Park, PA/Cheltenham) helped Caldwell take the second set, 25-16.

The Cougars trailed early in the third set before Herzog served again for an 11-point streak that broke the set open in Caldwell's favor. Four more kills by Pecora and a team hitting percentage of .591 in the third set helped the Cougars cruise to a 25-11 win and the match.

Pecora, pictured, finished with a team-high 11 kills and a .643 hitting percentage to pace the attack. Freshman setter Lauren Roth (Findlay, OH/Findlay) dished out 33 assists for her fifth consecutive match with 30 or more assists. The Cougars finished with a season-best .392 hitting percentage, recording 41 kills with 10 errors in 79 attempts. Sophomore libero Kathleen Estes (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) recorded a team-leading eight digs.

The Cougars return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 30 with a CACC match against Bloomfield College. The match is set to start at 7:00 p.m. in Bloomfield, N.J.

CC - 25 25 25
GBC - 19 16 11