LAKEWOOD, N.J. - For the first time in the five-year history of the program, the Caldwell College volleyball team will play in the finals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament by virtue of its 3-1 triumph over Philadelphia University in the semifinals Friday afternoon at Georgian Court University. The Cougars, who won 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, 25-12, had lost to the Rams in the CACC semifinals the past two seasons. With the win, Caldwell (23-7) will play Holy Family University for the CACC championship on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 1:00 p.m.
The Cougars outlasted the Rams in the first half, 25-22 on the strength of 17 kills compared to eight for Philadelphia. The Rams turned the tables with a 25-22 victory in the second set, with 16 kills. After that, it was all Caldwell, as the Cougars took big leads in each of the final two sets en route to 25-14 and 25-12 wins. Caldwell was especially efficient in the fourth set, hitting .387 with 13 kills and one error in 31 attempts.
Junior middle blocker Titilola Alao (Ossining, NY/Ossining) registered 13 kills and a .393 hitting percentage, while sophomore right side Amber Mosher (Flanders, NJ/Mount Olive) matched Alao with 13 kills and hit .281. Senior outside hitter Justine Pecora (Clifton, NJ/Mt. St. Dominic Acad.) had 11 kills without a hitting error and hit .333, with sophomore outside hitter Susan McDonough (Saline, MI/Saline) adding 10 kills. As a team the Cougars hit .270, as junior setter Lauren Roth (Findlay, OH/Findlay) dished out 48 assists.
As dominant as the offense was, the Cougar defense was the story Friday. Five players registered 13 or more digs apiece, led by McDonough with 25 and sophomore libero Maddy Amon (Louisville, KY/Bishop Moore) with 23. Caldwell did not allow a service ace, and racked up 102 digs in the match, a school record for a four-set contest. Additionally, McDonough had four total blocks, and Alao and freshman middle blocker Kasey Bausch (Bellmore, NY/Holy Trinity) had three blocks each. Philadelphia, which received 12 kills from Leanna Lillge, hit .121 for the match.
The Cougars will play Holy Family in Saturday's championship match at Georgian Court. The teams split a pair of matches during the regular season, with the Tigers winning a non-conference match in five sets on Sept. 4 and Caldwell earning a four-set victory in the CACC meeting on Oct. 9. Neither team has won a CACC Tournament title. The winner of Saturday's match will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, which begins next week.
CC - 25 22 25 25
PU - 22 25 14 12
CACC Volleyball Tournament
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Nov. 9
No. 1N Caldwell 3, No. 4N Nyack 0
No. 3N Bloomfield 3, No. 2N Dominican 2
No. 1S Holy Family 3, No. 4S Georgian Court 0
No. 2S Philadelphia 3, No. 3S Wilmington 0
Semifinals (at Georgian Court, Lakewood, NJ)
Friday, Nov. 12
No. 1N Caldwell 3, No. 2S Philadelphia 1
No. 1S Holy Family 3, No. 3N Bloomfield 0
Finals (at Georgian Court, Lakewood, NJ)
Saturday, Nov. 13
No. 1N Caldwell vs. No. 1S Holy Family, 1:00 p.m.
