Cardinals open action at Worthington Classic with split

WASHINGTON – The Cardinals volleyball team opened competition at the Worthington Classic on the campus of Gallaudet on Friday by splitting a pair of matches.  CUA fell to North Carolina-Wesleyan 3-0 in the opener before rebounding with a 3-2 win over Emory & Henry in the nightcap.

Following Friday's action the Cardinals sit at 11-10 on the season.

In the first match of the day the Cardinals kept it close before falling by scores of 23-25, 19-25 and 23-25.  Kristina Purcell registered a team-best 30 digs, while Claudia Jean added 27 digs and a team-high ten kills.  Bridget Kulesh tied Jean for top honors with ten digs, and Michaela Carroll led the Cardinals with 26 assists.  

Katrina Baccetti added five kills and four digs, while Katie Chefalas registered nine digs and five kills.

CUA rebounded to win an exciting second match as the Cardinals downed Emory & Henry 3-2.  CUA jumped out to a 2-0 lead with wins in the first two games, 25-18 and 25-19, but the Wasps responded with two straight wins by identical scores of 25-22. 

In the fifth and deciding match the Cardinals came away with a 15-10 decision to earn their 11th victory in 2010.

Carroll led the Cardinals with 46 assists to go along with 11 digs, while Jean registered a double-double with 16 kills and 19 digs. Chefalas contributed 12 kills and ten digs of her own, and Kulesh had yet another double-digit kill performance with 11.

Purcell added 21 digs in the win as well as a team-best four aces.

CUA will conclude action at Gallaudet on Saturday with a pair of matches, beginning at 11 AM when the Cardinals take on Penn State-Behrend.