CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College volleyball team defeated a determined squad from Nyack College for a four-set victory in the quarterfinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Tuesday night in the George R. Newman Center. The win is the Cougars' 10th in a row and gives them a 21-11 record heading into Friday's semifinals against Philadelphia University. The Warriors drop to 10-13.
Nyack, the No. 4 seed in the CACC North, started out on fire, recording 13 kills and a .343 hitting percentage to stun top-seeded Caldwell in the first set, 25-16. Brianne Cercone paced the Warriors with five kills in the set, while freshman outside hitter Susan McDonough (Saline, MI/Saline) had four kills for Caldwell. The second set was close until the Cougars broke a 10-10 tie by scoring nine of the next 10 points en route to a 25-14 victory. Junior outside hitter Cory Roesing (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus) had four kills to help Caldwell tie the match. The third set was all Caldwell, with McDonough recording four of the team's 12 kills in a 25-8 rout.
The score in the fourth set remained tight from start to finish, with neither team leading by more than two points. With the score knotted at 23-23, a kill by Jacki Ver Hage gave Nyack set point. But junior outside hitter Justine Pecora (Clifton, NJ/Mt. St. Dominic Acad.) put down a kill to keep the Cougars alive. Pecora then answered a kill by Grace Fleming with one of her own to stave off set point again and tie the score at 25-25. The match ended in Caldwell's favor after two consecutive attack errors by Nyack, which included a solo block by sophomore outside hitter Elise Lennon (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus).
McDonough finished with a team-best 14 kills to go with 12 digs and four service aces, while Pecora, pictured, had nine kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Lauren Roth (Findlay, OH/Findlay) tallied 35 assists, nine digs and five kills. Freshman libero Maddy Amon (Shelbyville, KY/Bishop Moore) led the defense with 16 digs. Cercone finished with 12 kills and a hitting percentage of .310 for Nyack.
Caldwell advances to the semifinals of the CACC Tournament, where the Cougars will face Philadelphia, the No. 2 seed in the South and a three-set winner over Holy Family University in the quarterfinals. The match is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J.
CC - 16 25 25 27
NC - 25 14 8 25
CACC Volleyball Tournament
Quarterfinals, Tuesday, Nov. 10
Game 1: (N1) Caldwell 3, (N4) Nyack 1
Game 2: (N2) Dominican 3, (N3) Post 1
Game 3: (S1) Georgian Court 3, (S4) USP 0
Game 4: (S2) Philadelphia 3, (S3) Holy Family 0
Semifinals, Friday, Nov. 13 (at Georgian Court)
Game 5: (S1) Georgian Court vs. (N2) Dominican, 6:00 p.m.
Game 6: (N1) Caldwell vs. (S2) Philadelphia, 8 p.m.
Finals, Saturday, Nov. 14 (at Georgian Court)
Semifinal Winners, 1 pm
