Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Caldwell University volleyball team lost a pair of non-conference matches Friday afternoon at the California (Pa.) Tournament. The Cougars fell to Clarion University and Fairmont State University in three sets to drop to 3-3 on the season.

Against Clarion (5-0), the Cougars fell behind early in the first set and never recovered, losing 25-13. Freshman Taryn Auyong (Honolulu, HI/Kamehameha) had three kills in the set. Caldwell erased an early deficit in the second set to tie the score at 17-17, only to have the Golden Eagles tally eight of the final nine points. Seniors Athena Nestoras (Los Angeles, CA/St. Monica) and Erica Harrell (Richardson, TX/Plano East) and sophomore Rachael DiLeonardo (West Chester, OH/Mount Notre Dame) each had three kills in the set. The third set saw the Cougars come back from as many as seven points down to make the score 22-21. But Clarion closed out the match with three of the last four points in the set.

Auyong led Caldwell with seven kills to go with 10 digs, with DiLeonardo adding five kills and 13 digs. Nestoras contributed five kills, eight digs and nine assists, and freshman Gabrielle Bennett (San Antonio, TX/Johnson) delivered 11 assists. Defensively, senior libero Jaclyn Del Cid (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) tallied 19 digs and freshman Jessica Mitchell (Plainfield, IL/Neuqua Valley) had 10 digs.

In the day's second match, the Cougars lost to Fairmont State, 25-23, 25-19, 25-14. Auyong notched a team-best 11 kills, while Nestoras delivered 21 assists to go with nine digs. Del Cid finished with 22 digs, and Harrell added five kills and 15 digs.

Caldwell continues play at the California (Pa.) Tournament with matches against Cedarville University and Alderson Broaddus on Saturday.

CU – 13 18 22
Clarion – 25 25 25

CU – 23 19 14
FSU – 25 25 25