BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Caldwell College volleyball team split a pair of five-set matches at the LIU Post Tournament, beating Adelphi University before falling to the host Pioneers Friday afternoon in the Pratt Recreation Center. The results leave the Cougars with a 4-6 record on the season.

Against LIU Post, Caldwell led 2-1 and tied the fourth set, 24-24 following a block by junior middle blocker Kasey Bausch (Bellmore, NY/Holy Trinity) and senior right side Amber Mosher (Flanders, NJ/Mount Olive). But the Pioneers tallied the next two points to tie the match and force a fifth set. The Cougars used three kills from Mosher and two each from Bausch and junior right side Kate Blankerts (Sylvania, OH/Southview) to lead 14-9 and set up match point. But LIU Post rallied to score the next five points before closing out the set, 17-15.

Freshman outside hitter Annyssa Herlihy (Springfield, NJ/Union Catholic) recorded 12 kills, while Mosher and freshman Rachael DiLeonardo (Cincinnati, OH/Mount Notre Dame) had 11 kills apiece to pace Caldwell. Bausch and Mosher finished with four blocks apiece, and sophomore libero Jaclyn Del Cid (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) registered a career-high 27 digs. Makamae Namahoe notched a match-high 20 kills for the Pioneers.

Holding a narrow 9-7 advantage in the final set against Adelphi, the Cougars received kills from Bausch, DiLeonardo and Mosher, and an ace from junior setter Lisa Roth (Gilbert, AZ/Williams Field) to build a 13-8 lead. DiLeonardo and senior outside hitter Susan McDonough (Saline, MI/Saline) closed out the win with kills down the stretch.

The Cougars were led by DiLeonardo and McDonough with 13 kills apiece, and Kate Blankerts added 10 kills. Defensively, Del Cid tallied 19 digs, while McDonough and DiLeonardo had 17 and 15 digs, respectively. Sophomore Athena Nestoras (Los Angeles, CA/St. Monica) contributed 16 assists and 11 digs. Adelphi's Kaitlyn DeStafano led all players with 15 kills.

Caldwell continues play at the LIU Post Tournament with matches against Molloy College and Pace University on Saturday, Sept. 15.

CC (3) - 25 17 25 21 15
AU (2) - 14 25 17 25 10

CC (2) - 25 24 25 24 15
LIUP (3) - 22 26 22 26 17