Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Caldwell University volleyball team picked up a pair of key regional wins on Saturday, defeating Mercy College and NYIT at a tri-match held at NYIT Saturday afternoon. The Cougars, who beat Mercy in three sets before defeating NYIT in five sets, are now 6-5 on the season.

In the victory over Mercy, Caldwell held the Mavericks to a .035 hitting percentage while getting 12 kills from freshman middle blocker Narae Wadsworth (Reno, NV/Wooster) to win, 25-17, 25-14, 25-20. Wadsworth hit .409 and added three total blocks. Senior Athena Nestoras (Los Angeles, CA/St. Monica) and freshman Gabrielle Bennett (San Antonio, TX/Johnson) split the setting duties, with Nestoras recording 12 assists and Bennett tallying 15 assists. Senior libero Jaclyn Del Cid (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) had 14 digs and freshman outside hitter Taryn Auyong (Honolulu, HI/Kamehameha) notched 13 digs.

Against NYIT, five Cougars reached double figures in kills as Caldwell outlasted the Bears, 27-25, 21-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-9. Auyong led the way with 13 kills and 15 digs, while Wadsworth had another strong performance with 12 kills, five blocks and a .476 hitting percentage. Nestoras registered a triple-double with 11 kills, 26 assists and 12 digs to go with five blocks, and sophomore outside hitter Rachael DiLeonardo (Cincinnati, OH/Mt. Notre Dame) had 10 kills and 13 digs. Senior right side Erica Harrell (Richardson, TX/Plano East) also had 10 kills, with Bennett adding 28 assists and seven digs. Defensively, Del Cid notched 26 digs, and junior middle blocker Kelsey Blankerts (Sylvania, OH/Southview) had five blocks.

Del Cid became Caldwell's all-time leader in digs, surpassing former standout Maddy Amon's previous school record of 1,614 digs. Del Cid now has 1,645 digs in her career.

The Cougars return to Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play with a match at Dominican College on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The first serve is set for 7:00 p.m. in Orangeburg, N.Y.

CU – 25 25 25
MC – 17 14 20

CU – 27 21 23 25 15
NYIT – 25 25 25 19 9