ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College volleyball team earned its second Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) victory of the season with a 3-0 sweep of Saint Elizabeth University on Wednesday night at Lees Gymnasium.

The Falcons won by set scores of 25-13, 25-16, and 25-14. 

The beginning stages of the opening set were close with the teams being separated by only two points, 8-6, after a hitting error from Cedar Crest. The Falcons went onto score four straight points to double up the Eagles, 12-6. Cedar Crest strung together another run, this time a 5-0 spurt to extend the margin to eight, 18-10, before coming away with the set with the 25-13 score.

The start of the second set was tightly contested as well as the Falcons had a 9-8 lead after 17 points. Cedar Crest rattled off a 9-2 run to blow the set open and go up 18-10 after a kill from junior Ziah Melton (Allentown, Pa./William Allen). The Eagles were able to get to within five, but the Falcons finished strong to take the second set, 25-16.

Cedar Crest had control of the third set from the beginning, winning the first three points and put together a 9-1 run to balloon the lead to 13-3 after a service ace from junior Maddison Minyo (Covington, Pa./North Penn-Mansfield). Saint Elizabeth got to within eight in the late stages of the stanza, but it was the Falcons finishing it in straight sets with the 25-14 third-set triumph.

Sophomore Alexis Cummins (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) led Cedar Crest with 10 kills and four service aces. Minyo followed with seven kills, nine digs, and a block. Senior Kelsee Schouppe (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) finished with six kills and a block while junior Ava Grapy had 30 assists and eight digs. Junior Rebekka Sanchez-Castro (Columbia, Md./Atholton) had a match-high 20 digs for the Falcons.

Sophomore Onye Bosco (West Orange, N.J.) and first-year Taylor Liriano (Bergenfield, N.J.) had five kills apiece for the Eagles. Sophomore Kristina Ashton (Colonia, N.J.) recorded 12 assists while senior Marcda Thermitus (Linden, N.J.) had eight digs to round out the leaders for the visitors.

Cedar Crest (5-6 overall, 2-0 CSAC) hits the road for three straight matches, starting at Bryn Athyn College on Saturday, October 8 in an 11:00 a.m. tilt. Saint Elizabeth (3-10 overall, 0-2 CSAC) will play at Lehmen College on Thursday, October 6 in a 5:00 p.m. match.

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