ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College volleyball team secured its seventh straight win with a 3-0 sweep of Cairn University in a United East Conference-Skye Division match at Lees Gymnasium on Wednesday night.

The Falcons took the match by set scores of 25-15, 25-12, and 25-20.

The teams split the opening 10 points of the first set, 5-5. Cedar Crest then rattled off four straight points, capped off by a service ace from junior Alexis Cummins (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge) to make the score, 9-5. The Falcons stretched its lead to as many as nine, 21-12, following an attack error by the Highlanders. Cairn answered with back-to-back points and then the home team closed on a 4-1 run to win the first stanza, 25-15.

Cedar Crest began set number two on an 8-2 run, finished off by a Highlanders hitting error. After back-to-back points from Cairn to make the score 8-4, the Falcons went on a 9-2 to extend the lead to 17-6. Junior Akashia Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) concluded the run with a kill. The Highlanders responded with five straight points, but that was answered by an 8-1 run by Cedar Crest as the home team went up two sets to none.

Cairn got out to the early advantage in the third set, notching three straight points. That was answered by four in a row by the Falcons, finished off by a kill from sophomore Ellise Everett (Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona). With the Highlanders up 7-6, Cedar Crest scored four straight to make the score 10-7 after a kill by Cummins. The home team remained in front for the remainder of the frame and would come out on top with the 25-20 set win and the match in straight sets.

Senior Maddison Minyo (Covington, Pa./North Penn-Mansfield) led the way with 11 kills, 12 digs, three assists, one service ace, and a pair of blocks. Everett followed with 10 kills, one assist, one service ace, and a block. Senior Ava Grapsy (Macungie, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) chipped in eight kills, 19 assists, and seven digs. First-year Nikki Blair (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) contributed 17 assists, four service aces, six digs, and a kill. Senior Rebekka Sanchez-Castro (Columbia, Md./Atholton) guided the Falcon defense with a match-high 22 digs.

Cedar Crest (12-8 overall, 7-0 United East Conference-Skye Division) will close the regular season with two straight road matches, beginning on Saturday, October 28 at Rosemont College at noon. Cairn (12-9 overall, 4-3 United East Conference-Skye Division) returns home for a conference match against Wilson College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

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