CALDWELL, N.J. – The Caldwell University volleyball team edged Bloomfield College in a thrilling five-set Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference match Friday night in the George R. Newman Center. The Cougars, who won by the scores of 23-25, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, 15-13, improve to 14-7 overall and 9-2 in the conference. The Bears drop to 9-10, 6-4 CACC.
After dropping a close first set, 25-23, Caldwell fought back in the second set, hitting .273 and getting five kills from senior
Athena Nestoras (Los Angeles, CA/St. Monica) in a 25-15 win. The Cougars fell behind early in the third set and never recovered, falling 25-15. In the fourth set, Caldwell trailed 16-13 before scoring five straight points and eventually hold off Bloomfield, 25-23. Freshman outside hitter
Taryn Auyong (Honolulu, HI/Kamehameha) delivered six kills in the win.
In the deciding fifth set, the Bears tallied the first four points to gain the upper hand. But kills by Auyong, Nestoras and freshman middle blocker
Narae Wadsworth (Reno, NV/Wooster) sparked an 8-1 run by the Cougars for an 8-5 advantage. Caldwell extended its lead to 11-8 before Bloomfield reeled off five straight points to pull to within two points of victory, 13-11. A block by senior right side
Erica Harrell (Richardson, TX/Plano East) and junior middle blocker
Kelsey Blankerts (Sylvania, OH/Southview), followed by a Bloomfield error, tied the score at 13-13. Senior libero
Jaclyn Del Cid (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) followed with an ace, then the Cougars ended a long rally and the match with a kill by Auyong for the 15-13 win.
Auyong led Caldwell with 17 kills to go with 14 digs, while Nestoras just missed a triple-double with 14 kills, 21 assists and nine digs. Sophomore outside hitter
Rachael DiLeonardo (Cincinnati, OH/Mount Notre Dame) tallied 11 kills and 18 digs, and Wadsworth had 10 kills and three total blocks. Freshman setter
Gabrielle Bennett (San Antonio, TX/Johnson) contributed 27 assists and 16 digs, with Del Cid racking up 27 digs on defense. Deandra Black led Bloomfield with 17 kills.
The Cougars host a key CACC match on Saturday, Oct. 18 against Holy Family University, beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the Newman Center.
CU – 23 25 15 25 15
BC – 25 15 25 23 13Â
