CALDWELL, N.J. - The Caldwell College volleyball team cruised to a three-set victory over Chestnut Hill College, 25-20, 25-16, 25-8 in the quarterfinals of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Tuesday night in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars, seeded first in the North, improve to 24-4 and advance to Friday's semifinals, held at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. The Griffins, seeded fourth in the South, end their season with a record of 13-19.
Caldwell broke open a close first set with a 9-1 run that turned a 12-12 tie into a 21-13 advantage. Junior outside hitter Susan McDonough (Saline, MI/Saline) had six kills in seven attempts as the Cougars hit .448 in the 25-20 win. In the second set, McDonough, senior outside hitter Brittany Denter (Detroit, MI/Kingsley) and sophomore middle blocker Becca Feczer (Findlay, OH) each had three kills to pace Caldwell to a 25-16 victory. The Cougars closed out the match strong, hitting .500 (11 kills, one error in 20 attempts) while holding the Griffins to five kills. McDonough was perfect in the final set with seven kills in seven attempts.
McDonough finished with a match-high 16 kills and 13 digs while hitting .609 to lead Caldwell. Denter, pictured, added seven kills, while Feczer had six kills and a .357 hitting percentage. Senior setter Lauren Roth (Findlay, OH/Findlay) dished out 38 assists, including 15 in the first set, and had five digs. Cassie Benson paced the Griffins with seven kills and a .636 hitting percentage.
The win helped the Cougars set a program record with 11 wins in a row while tying the mark for most victories in a season (24). The win also marked the final match in the Newman Center for seniors Denter, Roth, Cory Fallon (Midland Park, NJ/Midland Park) and Elise Lennon (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus). The senior class won four CACC North Division titles and compiled a record of 87-35 so far.
Caldwell advances to the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11 to face the No. 2 seed in the South, Philadelphia University, which topped Nyack College 3-1 tonight in Philadelphia. The match is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J.
CC - 25 25 25
CHC - 20 16 8
CACC Volleyball Tournament
Quarterfinals, Tuesday, Nov. 8
Game 1: (N1) Caldwell 3, (S4) Chestnut Hill 0
Game 2: (S2) Philadelphia 3, (N3) Nyack 1
Game 3: (S1) Holy Family 3, (N4) Post 0
Game 4: (S3) Wilmington 3, (N2) Dominican 1
Semifinals, Friday, Nov. 11 (at Georgian Court)
(N1) Caldwell vs. (S2) Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m.
(S1) Holy Family vs. (S3) Wilmington, 7:30 p.m.
Finals, Saturday, Nov. 12 (at Georgian Court)
Semifinal Winners, 1 pm
