Cardinals set to host Scranton in conference tournament opener

WASHINGTON – For the fourth straight year the CUA volleyball team will take part in the Landmark Conference Tournament, as the Cardinals open postseason play on Wednesday evening at home vs. Scranton.  The Cardinals claimed the No. 3 seed and will play host to the sixth seeded Royals.

As the calendar turns to November, CUA seems to be playing some of its best volleyball of the season, as the Cardinals bring a four-match winning streak into the conference tournament.  CUA claimed the Messiah College Tournament this past weekend as it rolled to four wins in two days, led by All-Tournament selections Claudia Jean and Kristina Purcell. 

Jean has had a terrific sophomore season, leading the entire conference in kills with 393, ranking second in points with 436.5 and seventh in digs with 415.  Purcell meanwhile is leading the conference in digs per game at 5.68, while Michaela Carroll checks in at number four in assists with 8.31 per game.

Other Cardinals to keep an eye on include Katie Chefalas, who has totaled 192 kills and 272 digs for the season, including 51 and 30 at the Messiah Tournament. Molly Owens also had a big performance at the tournament with 32 kills and 15 digs, while Megan Himler added 23 digs in the four matches.

CUA has already played and beaten Scranton twice this season, including this past weekend at Messiah.  The Cardinals downed the Royals 3-1.  This came two weeks after CUA defeated Scranton 3-0 on the campus of Merchant Marine Academy in the second round of Landmark Conference round robin play.

The Cardinals are 1-2 all-time in Landmark Conference postseason play.  CUA earned its first win last season with a 3-0 victory over Merchant Marine Academy at home.

The Cardinals and Royals will get things started at 7:00 on Wednesday from inside the DuFour Center Gymnasium.  All of the action will be shown live on cuacardinals.com.