CALDWELL, N.J. – The Caldwell University volleyball team defeated Chestnut Hill College in three sets, 25-11, 25-23, 25-21 in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match Saturday afternoon at the George R. Newman Center. The win is the third in a row for the Cougars, who are now 12-7 overall and 7-2 in league play. The Griffins fall to 10-10, 5-4 CACC.

Caldwell cruised in the first set, limiting Chestnut Hill to a -.074 hitting percentage en route to a 25-11 win. In the second set, the Cougars led early before the Griffins battled back to tie the score at 20-20. The score was 23-23 before freshman outside hitter Taryn Auyong (Honolulu, HI/Kamehameha) tallied back-to-back kills to clinch the set for Caldwell. Auyong, senior Athena Nestoras (Los Angeles, CA/St. Monica) and sophomore Rachael DiLeonardo (Cincinnati, OH/Mount Notre Dame) each had three kills in the set.

The third set also was close, with neither team leading by more than four points. With the score tied at 19-19, Auyong and freshman middle blocker Narae Wadsworth (Reno, NV/Wooster) had kills to help the Cougars record three straight points and take a 22-19 advantage. Auyong, Nestoras and Wadsworth closed out the match with kills, as Caldwell earned their third consecutive CACC win.

Auyong finished with nine kills and nine digs, while DiLeonardo had six kills and a team-high 17 digs. Nestoras registered five kills, nine assists, four aces and 10 digs, and freshman setter Gabrielle Bennett (San Antonio, TX/Johnson) added 14 assists. Wadsworth paced the defense with four total blocks, while senior libero Jaclyn Del Cid (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) contributed 10 digs.

The Cougars play another CACC match on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at Felician College. The match starts at 7:00 p.m. in Rutherford, N.J.

CU – 25 25 25
CHC – 11 23 21