Men’s Volleyball: Highlanders Fall to Top-Seeded LBC in CSAC Championship Match
Story Shared Courtesty of Cairn University Athletics - Story from cairnhighlanders.com
LANCASTER, Pa. – The No. 2 seed Cairn University men's volleyball team saw their 2023 season come to a close following a 3-0 (17-25, 14-25, 15-25) defeat at the hands of No. 1 seed Lancaster Bible College in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championship match on Saturday evening.
The first set was a close battle between the CSAC's top two teams, and LBC (21-10, 6-0 CSAC) held a 19-14 lead at the midway point of set one, before Cairn (13-9, 5-1 CSAC) responded with kills by junior Will Nase (Harleysville, PA / Souderton) and freshman Moses Gamble (Rocklin, CA / Rocklin) to cut the deficit to three (19-16). However, a five-point serving run by the Chargers gave LBC the momentum it needed to close out set one and take a 1-0 match lead. Lancaster Bible held a 15-7 lead at the onset of set two, before the Highlanders used a three-point swing, highlighted by back-to-back blocks by junior Joe Poirier (Nogyang, South Korea / Holden Christian Academy) to cut the LBC advantage to five (15-10). However, LBC used another long rally, this time to the tune of seven-straight points to win set two and take a 2-0 match lead. Cairn fought valiantly in set three, but the Chargers efficient offense proved supreme after hitting .400 in the third set, leading them to a 25-15 win in set three, clinching their first CSAC championship title.
Cairn was led offensively by Gamble with five kills, followed by Nase with four and senior Caleb Horning (Adamstown, PA / Cocalico) with three. Senior Shea Scott (Harleysville, PA / Souderton) dished out a team-high seven assists, while classmate Josh Moyer (Quakertown, PA / Quakertown Community) scooped up a team-high six digs.
Cairn concludes the 2023 season with an overall record of 13-9 and were 5-1 in CSAC competition. Cairn made it back to the CSAC Championship match for the third consecutive season, and capped off a three-year run where it went 20-1 in conference play.